Turkey and Russia are exploring the option of using each other’s local currencies in their respective countries, especially in the tourism sector, the Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said.
Speaking at the Turkish-Russian Media Forum, Zeybekci said technical negotiations over the utilization of local currencies in trade between the two countries were progressing between the central banks of both countries, adding that the use of local currencies in tourism was one of the goals they were trying to achieve.
"Our goal is to have Russian citizens visiting Turkey, Antalya, pay in rubles and also let Turkish tourists visiting Russia pay in Turkish liras," Anadolu Agency cited Zeybekci as saying.
Regarding the deterioration of trade in wake of the last November jet crisis, which created significant tensions between the two sides, Zeybekci said he did not want to elaborate on the numbers since they were really disheartening and there was much to do to boost bilateral trade.
The minister is scheduled to meet Russian energy minister Alexander Novak in October in Istanbul, where there will also be a major business forum within the scope of the Turkey-Russia Joint Economic Commission meeting.
