Moscow's Decision to Limit Air Travel with Turkey is Not Political, Peskov Says

The decision by Moscow to limit air communication with Turkey is not political, according to Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia.

According to the Kremlin representative, the restrictions are being imposed due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Turkey.

When asked if there could be a connection to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement supporting Ukraine, Peskov emphasized, 'No. The situation is exclusively epidemiological in nature; the decision is related to a rather sharp outbreak of coronavirus in Turkey.'

In relation to the coronavirus outbreak, Russia's operational headquarters has decided to suspend flights with Turkey from April 15 to June 1. The restrictions also affect Tanzania.