DHAKA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in St Petersburg hoping to ‘reset’ ties with Russia in talks with President Vladimir Putin.

It is Erdogan’s first foreign visit since an attempted coup last month.

Relations between the two countries were plunged into crisis last November when Turkey shot down a Russian military jet on the Syrian border, reports the BBC.

The visit comes as Turkey’s ties with the West have cooled over criticism of a crackdown on alleged coup-plotters.

Before leaving Turkey, Erdogan referred to President Putin as his ‘friend’ and said he wanted to open a new page in relations with Russia.

"This visit strikes me as a new milestone in our bilateral relations, starting again from a clean slate," Erdogan said.

After Turkey shot down the Su-24 jet in November, Russia imposed trade sanctions and suspended Russian package tours to Turkey.

BDST: 1755 HRS, AUG 09, 2016
BD