Turkey will not apologise for downing Russian fighter jet: Prime Minister

'We hope Russia will reconsider these measures in both our interests', says Davutoglu

Brussels

: Turkey will not apologise for downing a Russian fighter jet along the Syrian border but urged Moscow to reconsider retaliatory sanctions in the hope of calming the crisis, Turkish Premier Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday.

-"Protection of our airspace, our border is not only a right but a duty for my government and no Turkish premier or President will apologise (for) doing our duty,-" Davutoglu told a joint press conference with NATO head Jens Stoltenberg after talks in Brussels.

Davutoglu added that -"we hope Russia will reconsider these measures in both our interests-", referring to the sanctions that Moscow imposed after the shooting down of the jet earlier this month.