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Moscow -Russia will restrict imports of Turkish fruit and vegetables as part of a package of new sanctions following the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey last week. Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said the fruit and vegetable ban could be deferred for “several weeks” to allow Russian firms to find new suppliers and curb price rises, in comments reported yesterday by state news agency RIA Novosti.

The new measures announced at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also include a government veto on Turkish construction firms working in Russia and restrictions on road transport.

RIA reported that Medvedev called for sanctions to be “most effective for the Turkish side but minimally affecting our economic interests.” Meanwhile, Turkey will not apologise for downing a Russian fighter jet along the Syrian border but urged Moscow to reconsider retaliatory sanctions in the hope of calming the crisis, Turkish Premier Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday.

“Protection of our airspace, our border isn’t only a right but a duty for my government and no Turkish premier or president … will apologise [for] doing our duty,” Davutoglu told a joint press conference with Nato head Jens Stoltenberg after talks in Brussels.

Davutoglu added that “we hope Russia will reconsider these measures in both our interests”, referring to the sanctions that Moscow imposed after the shooting down of the jet earlier this month.— AFP.