Turkey: Talks on for passport-free travel for Russians

By Hatice Ozdemir Tosun

ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) - Turkey and Russia has been in talks to allow Russian nationals to travel to Turkey without a passport, the Turkish foreign minister said Monday.

"We’ve started meetings in order to pave the way for the Russians to come to our country [only] with their ID cards, without a passport," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency.

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is coming to Antalya on March 28 and we will discuss these in detail in Antalya. Then, we will altogether go to Moscow on April 8," Cavusoglu said.

Last month, Russia’s president signed a decree to lift visa requirements for Turkish service passport holders and truck drivers traveling to Russia.

The new rules are also valid for Turkish citizens with special passports on short-term business trips, including those to diplomatic missions and consular offices, as well as professional drivers transporting international cargo.