Turkey shoots down Russian jet on Syria border after airspace breach
Middle East, News November 24, 2015 3 Comments on Turkey shoots down Russian jet on Syria border after airspace breachTurkey says Russian jet violated airspace near border
ISTANBUL — Turkish fighter jets have shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday near the Syrian border. Turkey said the Russian jet violated its airspace, a long-feared escalation that could further strain relations between Russia and the West.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that one of its jets, a Sukhoi SU-24, had crashed in Syria but said it had been downed “presumably as a result of shelling from the ground.”
The Russian Defense Ministry also asserted that, “The plane stayed exclusively above the territory of Syria throughout the entire flight,” and said that the two pilots had ejected.
Turkey said it “responded” to a plane after the aircraft repeatedly violated its airspace and ignored several warnings.
“The moment of the plane falling into Bayirbucak region across from Hatay’s Yayladagi was captured on camera,” the Anadolu Agency reported. “The pilot’s evacuation via parachute was also captured. Heavy smoke has been seen in the area where the plane fell.”
The Turkish military did not identify the nationality of the plane but said in a statement on its website that its pilots fired only after repeated warnings to the other warplane.
“The aircraft entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yaylidag, in the southeastern Hatay province,” the statement read. “The plane was warned 10 times in the space of 5 minutes before it was taken down.”
Incident to strain Russia-Turkish relations
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has warned Turkey of ‘serious consequences’ after a Russia fighter jet was shot down close to Turkey’s border with Syria.
Turkey has summoned Russia’s envoy in Ankara and said it had a right to defend its territory.
NATO has called an urgent meeting later Tuesday to discuss the incident, a NATO official told CNN.
Russian fighter jet shot down by Turkish jets near Turkey-Syria border
Turkey says it had a right to defend its territory
Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it was Turkey’s duty to defend its territory.
“We want the international community to know that we are ready for any kind of sacrifice when the security and life of our citizens and our border security are concerned. The downing of a jet that had violated Turkish airspace today has to be seen in this context as well.
“We do not adopt an approach that impeaches on the sovereignty of any country. But the world needs to know that it is our international right and our national duty to take measures against anybody who violates our borders on the land and in the air, in spite of our many warnings.”
The Turkish foreign ministry also summoned the Russian ambassador last week to warn him that there would be “serious consequences” if the Russian air force did not immediately stop bombing “civilian Turkmen villages” in Bayir Bucak.
Putin warns Turkey of serious consequences after Russian jet shot down
Turkey backstabbed Russia by downing the Russian warplane and acted as accomplices of the terrorists, reports RT quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Today’s tragic event will have significant consequences, including for Russia-Turkish relations … Instead of immediately getting in contact with us, as far as we know, the Turkish side immediately turned to their partners from Nato to discuss this incident, as if we shot down their plane and not they ours” Putin said on Tuesday.
“Our aircraft was downed over the territory of Syria, using air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16. It fell on the Syrian territory 4km from Turkey.”
“Neither our pilots nor our jet threatened the territory of Turkey” he added.
The fact that Turkey did not try to contact Russia in the wake of the incident and rushed to call a NATO meeting instead is worrisome, Putin said. It appears that Turkey want NATO to serve the interests of IS, he added.
Based on reporting by Anadolu, Hürriyet Daily, Guardian, RT, BBC, CNN
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