New Russian ambassador presents credentials

Russia's new ambassador to Turkey presented his credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday.

Erdoğan received Alexei Yerkhov at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

Yerkhov, previously the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Crisis Management Center, replaced Andrey Karlov, who was assassinated at an art exhibition in Ankara on Dec. 19.

Karlov had been delivering a speech at the opening of an art gallery when a gunman shot him several times.

Turkish-Russian relations were tested after Karlov's assassination. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the shooting as a "provocation" designed to undermine bilateral ties.