MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced measures against Turkey including the suspension of visa-free travel, halting tours to Turkey and a ban on the hiring of Turkish nationals.

Russia imposed economic sanctions against Turkey following its downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber in Syria.

Under the decree, the import of certain products originating from Turkey will be temporarily banned or restricted.

A number of Turkish organizations operating in Russia will also be restricted.

The decree came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had voiced regret over the incident, saying his country was “truly saddened” by the event and wished it hadn’t occurred

Putin’s decree also calls for ending visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey, which is worrying many tourism companies.

“It’s hard to even imagine now what we can suggest to those tourists because prices used to be the key factor for choosing Egypt all the time. Turkey was also not the most expensive destination. I think most of those tourists will either stay at home and some of them will choose our resorts,” Oksana Bulakh, commercial director for the Alean Tour Company said.

Turkish PM criticizes Russian economic sanctions

Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu criticized Russian economic sanctions on Turkey after the downing of a Russian fighter jet over the Syrian border last week, saying his priority was to defuse the tension and prevent similar incidents.

“It’s not just Turkey that has economic interests, Russia too has economic interests in relation to Turkey,” Davutoglu said, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency. Turkey expects Russian officials to act in a cool-headed manner, he said.

Turkey has sent a request for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet with Putin on Nov. 30 during the climate summit in Paris, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, said Saturday in a televised interview. Russia hasn’t replied yet, he said.