Turkey Returning Body of Russian Pilot

The pilot’s body was handed over to Turkey in the early hours of Sunday, he said.

Russian and Syrian forces rescued the plane’s second pilot, while another Russian soldier was killed during the rescue effort.

Russian Federation claims that its planes were bombing ISIS militants in the area, though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that only Turkmen – “our brothers and sisters” – were in that region of Syria.

It includes a ban on some goods and forbids extensions of labor contracts for Turks working in Russian Federation as of January 1.

The decree partially suspends “visa-free” travel between the countries, mandates that Russian travel agencies stop selling tours to Turkey – a major tourist destination for Russians – and bans charter transportation between the nations, according to state-run Sputnik news.

Russian Federation insists it did not violate Turkish airspace, and has paraded a pilot who survived.

Addressing his supporters in the province of Balikesir, Erdogan said he hopes tensions between Turkey and Russian Federation over the incident do not escalate further and lead to dire consequences.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also said he hoped a meeting between Erdogan and Putin would take place in Paris.

He renewed a call for a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of a climate conference in Paris next week, saying it would be an opportunity to overcome tensions. Putin has yet to agree to the talks. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said it issued the travel warning because of unspecified “difficulties” faced by Turkish visitors and residents in Russian Federation.

Taking into account the political tensions surrounding the plane’s downing, Buzgan said his family is “deeply saddened by this military incident” and therefore would like to “provide all the possible assistance to the family of the killed pilot”. He also said the United States knew the jet’s flight path and should have informed Turkey, its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally.

Asked why Putin hasn’t picked up the phone to respond to Erdogan’s two phone calls, he said that “we have seen that the Turkish side hasn’t been ready to offer an elementary apology over the plane incident”.