By contrast, he said, Turkey's relationship with Russia was "an alliance of convenience, not a strategic relationship." Russia slapped a raft of sanctions on Turkey in the wake of the deadly jet incident, hurting Turkish exports and damaging its tourism industry. Russia also backs Kurdish forces in Syria, while Turkey is fighting against Kurdish militants at home. The Turkish leader said the economic and political relationship between the two countries would be strengthened to become stronger and more resilient. But the relationship began to thaw in June, when Erdogan wrote a letter expressing "regret" to the family of the pilot who was killed in the shootdown.

Source: CNN August 09, 2016 14:48 UTC