ISTANBUL, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that "significant progress" has been achieved with Russia in almost every subject in lifting bans imposed by Russia over Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet in 2015.
"First step was taken by allowing the seasonal import," Yildirim told reporters in Istanbul prior to his departure for Georgia. "The necessary steps could be taken by taking into account the seasonal demands and needs."
The ban on grapes, apples, pears, strawberries, cucumbers as well as white meat shall be lifted within one week, the prime minister said.
Russia maintains sanctions on some Turkish agricultural products and a visa regime for Turks, despite a normalizing relationship following the downing incident in November 2015.
According to Yildirim, talks on Russia lifting the ban on pepper, aubergine, lettuce, pumpkin and winter squash are expected to resume soon, but more time is needed for discussions on tomatoes.
He said the restrictions imposed on Turkish firms involved in construction, technical consultancy, tourism, public tender and wood processing will be removed within this month.
On the issue of lifting visa requirements, the prime minister said priority is expected to be given to flight personnel and holders of a service passport.
Yildirim met with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Monday on the sidelines of a summit of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Istanbul. They attended the signing ceremony of a joint declaration on the removal of restrictions on bilateral trade following closed-door talks.
The declaration signed by Turkish Deputy Premier Mehmet Simsek and Russian Deputy Premier Arkady Dvorkovich aims to normalize and develop economic ties to boost trade between the two countries, the Turkish Prime Ministry said in a statement.
