Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Saturday to boost national security and introduce economic measures against Turkey, the Kremlin press service said.

“Russian President V.V. Putin has signed a Decree ‘On Measures to Guarantee National Security in the Russian Federation and Protect Russian Citizens Against Criminal and Other Illegal Actions, and on Special Economic Measures Against the Turkish Republic,” the statement said.

The visa-free regime between the countries will be partially suspended after January 1, 2016. The measure does not concern Turkish nationals who have a temporary or permanent resident permit, as well as Turkish staff of diplomatic or consular missions in Russia and their families.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has been ordered to notify Ankara about these changes, the statement added.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian government had reached a decision to suspend the free-visa regime between Russia and Turkey due to security concerns.

The move comes as Russia started to question Ankara’s commitment to the fight against terrorism following the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber on Tuesday by the Turkish Air Force over Syria.

Russian travel agencies will have to stop selling tours to Turkey, according to the Kremlin. The directive is part of a decree that aims to boost Russia’s national security.

“Travel operators and agencies should refrain from selling tourist products to Russian citizens that involves going to the Turkish Republic.”

Charter air transportation between Russia and Turkey will also be banned.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the incident would negatively affect all aspects of relations between Moscow and Ankara and recommended Russians to refrain from visiting Turkey. Cooperation in the tourism industry between Moscow and Ankara may be stopped, the Russian Federal Tourism Agency said.

Moreover, Russia will restrict import of certain Turkish goods except for the goods imported for personal use to an extent permitted by law of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the statement said.

The activities of Turkish organizations in Russia will also be restricted, according to the Kremlin’s press service.

Moreover, Russian employers will not be allowed to hire Turkish citizens starting from January 1, 2016.

Source: sputniknews