Shots fired amid Russian-Turkish naval standoff in Aegean

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday a Russian destroyer fired warning shots at a Turkish ship to prevent a collision in the Aegean Sea.

The ministry made a harsh representation to the military attache of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, who was summoned by the Russian side earlier in the day. When the ship reached about 500 meters, the destroyer fired small arms “warning shots”, at which time they say the Geciclier-1 dramatically changed course.

Relations between Russia and Turkey have plunged since November 24 when a Russian warplane was downed by a Turkish F-16 near the border with Syria, killing one of the pilots.

The Russian ship was unable to make radio contact and the Turkish vessel did not respond to flares or visual signals.

“Particularly, our deep concerns about more Turkish provocations towards the Russian destroyer Smetlivy were expressed”.

“We have always been in favour of overcoming tensions through dialogue rather than conflict”.

Russia’s submarine Rostov-on-Don is escorted by a Turkish Navy Coast Guard boat as it sets sail in the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Turkey, December 13, 2015. Russian Federation denies the claim and insists the aircraft was in Syrian airspace.

“We passed within a mile of a warship which was at anchor”.

Cavusoglu said Russian Federation had already “put itself in a ridiculous position” with accusations by its President Vladimir Putin that Turkey had shot down the jet to protect oil supplies from Islamic State.

“We have seen the Russian statement”, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Rome, where he had been following an global conference on Libya.

Russian efforts to fight terrorism in Syria have been hampered by “attempts to use [terrorists] for some selfish goals”, and “criminal, bloody business with terrorists”, Putin said, before going on to announce that Russia would cancel discussions with Ankara over joint involvement in a large pipeline project.

Turkey complained to Russia over an episode in which a Russian sailor was pictured brandishing a rocket launcher on the deck of a naval ship earlier this month.