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  Turkey says Russia jet violated airspace

Turkey says Russia jet violated airspace

REUTERS
Published : Nov 25, 2015, 1:14 am IST
Updated : Nov 25, 2015, 1:14 am IST

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying it had repeatedly violated its air space, one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a Nato member coun

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying it had repeatedly violated its air space, one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a Nato member country and Russia for half-a-century.

Each country summoned a diplomatic representative of the other and Nato called a meeting of its ambassadors for Tuesday afternoon. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a visit to Turkey that had been due on Wednesday.

Footage from private Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV showed the warplane going down in flames in a woodland area, a long plume of smoke trailing behind it. The plane went down in area known by Turks as “Turkmen Mountain”, it said.

Russia’s defence ministry said one of its Su-24 fighter jets had been downed in Syria and that, according to preliminary information, the pilots were able to eject.

“For the entire duration of the flight, the aircraft was exclusively over Syrian territory,” it said.

The Turkish military said the aircraft had been warned 10 times in the space of five minutes about violating Turkish air space. Officials said a second plane had also approached the border and been warned.

“The data we have is very clear. There were two planes approaching our border, we warned them as they were getting too close,” a senior Turkish official said.

“Our findings show clearly that Turkish air space was violated multiple times. And they violated it knowingly,” the official said. A second official said the incident was not an action against any specific country but a move to defend Turkey’s sovereign territory within its rules of engagement.

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned representatives from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to brief them on the downing of a Russian fighter jet, a Turkish official said.

The incident appeared to scupper hopes of a rapprochement between Russia and the West in the wake of ISIS attacks in Paris, which led to calls for a united front against the radical jihadist group in Syria.

Mr Lavrov advised Russians not to visit Turkey and one of Russia’s largest tour operators to the country said it would temporarily suspend sales of trips.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was briefed by the head of the military, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was due to report on the incident to Nato ambassadors at 1600 GMT. He also informed the United Nations and related countries.

Mr Davutoglu said that Turkey had a duty to act against anyone violating its borders. “Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders,” Mr Davutoglu said.

Mr Erdogan will chair a security summit later on Tuesday, presidential sources said, to discuss developments after Turkey downed a Russian warplane that Ankara said had violated its airspace.

Location: Russian Federation, Moscow (City), Moscow