Russian Foreign Ministry

Russia on Jan. 6 rejected a Turkish accusation that it was refusing to issue visas to crews of the Turkish budget carrier Pegasus, saying the airline should have applied for them earlier.

Moscow suspended visa-free travel for Turks from Jan. 1 as part of a range of sanctions after a Turkish jet shot down a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border on Nov. 24. 

The head of the state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) has praised officials for helping avert a crisis in gas supplies that could have followed a halt in deliveries from Gazprom Export to Bulgaria's biggest private gas supplier.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticized a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry calling on Ankara to resolve the Kurdish issue by political means rather than by force, describing the statement as "an example of dark humor."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow will continue making efforts to resolve existing disputes in its trade relations with the European Union and Ukraine, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing Russian news agencies.

Montenegro should hold a referendum on joining NATO, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has said.

She noted that less than half of the Montenegrin population supports the country's membership in the military alliance, news agencies reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has spoken by phone with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari to discuss the "unlawful incursion" of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Dec. 12.

"The Russian side expressed its firm position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq," the ministry said in a statement. 

Close relations of friendship between Bulgaria and Russia no not depend on present-day developments after their history of 14 centuries, Sofia's Ambassador to Moscow has said.

Russia responded on Thursday to the accusations made by Turkey on Wednesday that Russian airstrikes in Syria were aiming to achieve ethnic cleansing.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, the accusations of Ankara were groundless and pointed to Turkey's total detachment from reality.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia will suspend its visa-free regime with Turkey from the beginning of next year.

"This is directly linked with the security of Russia and our citizens," TASS quoted Lavrov as saying following a meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Moscow.

Tension between Russia and Turkey has escalated after Russian Foreign Ministry advised Russian citizens to leave Turkey and Kremlin threatened with economic retaliations.