ISTANBUL, July 24. /TASS/. The West’s anti-Russian sanctions run counter to international law, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Sergey Vershinin said.

"We hold a principled stance regarding these sanctions - the are illegal. The imposition of sanctions by a group of countries or individual states violates international law. And most importantly, they will never contribute to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations, and they have a negative impact on the overall global economic situation," he said in an interview with the Haberturk television channel.

According to the Russian diplomat, Russia and Turkey continue developing trade and economic ties to reach a targeted goal of $100 billion a year that was set by the two countries’ presidents.

He said that the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation is scheduled to meet in Turkey in November. The commission is co-chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat. "I expect the meeting to make a range of important decisions that will give an impetus to our comprehensive trade and economic relations. It applies both to trade and the tourist sector," Vershinin said, adding that approximately seven million Russians visit Turkey a year.