Update: Click here to read about the outcome of the meeting. 

A Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek reportedly traveled to Russia on April 18 to discuss remaining sanctions on produce from the Mediterranean country.

Publication Hurriyet Daily News reported Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci accompanied Şimşek at the meeting scheduled with a Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

A Russian ban on Turkish products worth around US$500 million out of US$750 million of fresh fruits and vegetables was still continuing, according to the story. 

Moscow imposed sanctions on Jan. 1, 2016, following the downing of a Russian war plane for violating Turkish airspace. The incident touched off months of diplomatic tension that began abating with a normalization process last summer. 

Russia recently lifted the ban on the import of onions, cloves, salt, cauliflower, broccoli and gum from Turkey, but the sanctions on items such as tomatoes or grapes have remained. 

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