Turkey, Russia foreign ministers meet for first talks after plane crisis

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in the Serbian capital of Belgrade with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, at a ministerial session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The announcement came as relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated following the downing of a Russian military jet that violated Turkish airspace over the Turkey-Syria border on November 24.

Erdogan dismissed the remark as a “lie”, saying that in fact Turkey had suspended the project – and long before the plane incident – because of Russia’s “non-compliance with our demands”.

The rapidly escalating tension between Turkey and Russia after the downing of the Russian jet by the Turkish air force has reached a new level with Kremlin issuing an executive order containing a number of “special economic measures” against Turkey.

Lavrov cancelled a scheduled trip to Istanbul on November 25 and urged Russian citizens to avoid any travel to Turkey, a top tourist destination for many Russian tourists.

Since the civil war in Syria erupted in 2011, Turkey and Russian Federation have backed opposing sides. “Perhaps there will be something new after what has already been said publicly”.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that he is ready to provide Moscow with all the information about the downing of the Russian warplane. “The only things that we will not negotiate are the borders of the Republic of Turkey or its right to independence”, he said. Russian Federation says the plane was hit above Syrian territory.

In his speech on Thursday, Putin said Russian Federation has proof that Turkey was buying oil from the terrorist group, thereby helping IS finance weapons purchases, recruitment and attacks against civilians like in Paris and Beirut.

“If Russia cuts gas, it would effectively be shutting down the Marmara region and that would seriously hurt Turkey”, he said, adding he did not expect Moscow to take such a step as it would break a “contractual obligation”. The Russian defence ministry on Wednesday released an array of satellite and aerial images which it said show hundreds of oil lorries streaming across the border. The project was launched at the height of a pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine, which has significantly strained ties between Moscow and neighboring Kyiv.

Armenia claims Ottoman troops exterminated 1.5 million Armenians in the waning days of World War I by killing fighting-age men and forcing women, children, and the elderly to march through the Syrian desert without food and water.

Industry sources said the pipes can only be used for projects in the Black Sea due to their specialized construction.