Turkey’s Erdogan says Russian response to downed jet “emotional” and “unfitting”

On Tuesday, NATO member Turkey shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer jet, claiming the aircraft had violated its air space. Davutoglu is seeking to reduce tensions with Moscow, saying that Russian Federation is Turkey’s “friend and neighbor” and insisting relations can not be “sacrificed to accidents of communication”.

The statement also said the Russian ambassador was told to convey Turkey’s expectation from Moscow officials to take additional security measures to protect Turkish diplomatic offices and premises of Turkish companies in the country.

Putin called Turkey’s downing of the plane a “stab in the back” from a country that Russian Federation considered a friend.

Germany said it will deploy Tornado reconnaissance jets to support France in the fight against Islamic State in Syria.

Erdogan said in Ankara: “We are strategic partners…”

In response, Russian Federation has sent a missile defence system to the region, and heavily bombed rebel-held areas near where the plane was downed. One of the plane’s two pilots died, apparently from Syrian rebel gunfire when he ejected. One of the Russian pilots survived the incident and was rescued by a unit of Syrian army commandos.

Earlier, Russia threatened economic retaliation against Turkey and said it was still awaiting a reasonable explanation for the shooting down of its warplane, but Turkey dismissed the threats as “emotional” and “unfitting”.

Putin agreed with French President Francois Hollande on Thursday at the Kremlin to target Isis and similar jihadi groups in Syria.

In fact, Erdogan said, the United States had documented evidence that Russian companies and IS militants are selling oil to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“The downing of an unidentified jet in Turkish airspace was not – and is not – an act against a specific country”, Mr Davutoglu wrote in the Times.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Russia might impose restrictions on food imports from Turkey within days. “Should they have obeyed our rules of engagement, this accident would not have happened”, Unal said.

“Russia is obliged to prove its allegations, otherwise it will be considered a liar because of those grave and unfair accusations targeting Turkey”.