Turkey’s downing of Russian jet looks like planned provocation

As we reported Tuesday, Turkey says the Russian Su-24 fighter jet was in Turkish airspace when it was shot down by Turkish F-16s.

Merkel said that the downing of the Russian aircraft further complicated the situation in Syria, but underlined that only a political solution could end the civil-war in Syria.

“I hope that this, along with other measures that we are taking, will be enough to ensure (the safety) of our flights”, Putin told reporters, in an apparent warning to Turkey not to try to shoot down any more Russian planes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced what he called a “stab in the back” and warned of “significant consequences”.

He said the Turkish action came after Russian planes successfully targeted oil infrastructure used by the Islamic State group, alleging that Turkey benefited from the oil trade.

Turkey said the downed jet had encroached on Turkish air space and was warned repeatedly to change course, but Russian officials have said the plane was at no time over Turkey.

Some leading Russian tourist agencies already have suspended the sales of tour packages to Turkey.

In a statement, the Syrian armed forces said Syrian and Russian forces had penetrated into territory controlled by the “terrorists” – the regime’s description of all armed opposition – to rescue the pilot.

A Turkmen commander said missiles fired from Russian warships in the Mediterranean were also hitting the area, as well as heavy artillery shelling.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country does not wish to escalate tensions with Russian Federation over the downing of the plane.

However, a deputy commander of rebel Turkmen forces in Syria said on Tuesday that his men had shot both pilots dead as they parachuted down.

Speaking at an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation economy meeting in Istanbul, Erdogan said that Turkey favors “peace, dialogue and diplomacy”.

Russia’s foreign ministry issued a protest over the incident to the Turkish ambassador in Moscow, according to a Russian foreign ministry source.

U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande, seeking to forge a broader alliance against Islamic State after attacks in Paris this month, pressed Russian Federation to focus on the jihadist group and urged Moscow and Ankara not to let the situation escalate. He also alleged that Russian warplanes had been conducting an operation against Daesh north of Latakia in Syria.

Russian Federation imports large volumes of Turkish food products and textiles, and Turkish firms are active in the construction and drinks sectors.

Russian Federation is a major exporter of grain and energy to Turkey, and it sends over four million tourists each year to Turkish resorts, second only to the number of German tourists. Brewer Anadolu Efes, which has six breweries in Russian Federation and controls around 14 percent of the market, also saw its shares fall on Tuesday.

Senior Turkish officials have in the past vehemently denied accusations that Turkey has in any way supported the radical Islamist group.

Shoigu also said that from now on all Russian bombers will be escorted by fighters on their combat missions in Syria.

“We have serious doubts about this being an unpremeditated act, it really looks like a planned provocation”, Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.

Syria’s government refers to all rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad as terrorists.