| Voice of America | - |
Last
updated on: November 26, 2015 11:31 AM. Tensions remained heated
between Ankara and Moscow Thursday following Turkey's shooting down of a
Russian fighter jet near the Turkey-Syria border earlier in the week.
News / Europe
Erdogan: No Apology for Downing of Russian Fighter Jet
Last updated on: November 26, 2015 11:31 AM
Tensions remained heated between Ankara and Moscow Thursday
following Turkey's shooting down of a Russian fighter jet near the
Turkey-Syria border earlier in the week.
In an interview with CNN, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would not apologize for downing the jet.
"I think if there is a party that needs to apologize, it is not us," Erdogan said. "Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize."
His comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin called the shoot-down "totally inexplicable treacherous stabs in the back from those we believed to be our partners and allies in the fight against terror."
Syrian airspace
Putin again insisted that the plane was shot down in Syrian airspace, calling the incident "against common sense and international law."
Russian
President addresses newly arrived foreign ambassadors of 15 countries
during receiving credentials ceremony in Moscow's Kremlin, Russia, Nov.
26, 2015.
"We received no comprehensive apology from Turkey's highest political
level, no offer of compensation for the harm and damage, and no promise
to punish the culprits of this crime," he said. "One gets the
impression that the Turkish government is consciously driving
Russian-Turkish relations to a deadlock. We regret that."
Immediately after the plane was shot down Tuesday, Putin called the incident a “stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists" that would have "serious consequences."
In separate comments Thursday, Erdogan said the downing of the plane was "an automatic response" in line with the Turkish military's rules of engagement and that Russia had not been specifically targeted.
But he said Turkey would respond in "the same way" should "the same violation happen again today."
Accusations, imports
Earlier Thursday, Erdogan denied Russian accusations it has purchased oil and gas from the Islamic State group while Russia announced it was tightening restrictions on Turkish food imports.
Speaking to local officials in Ankara, Erdogan said his country's fight against the Islamic jihadists was "undisputed." He demanded anyone accusing Turkey of buying from the militants show proof of their accusations.
FILE
- The Egyptian Bazaar is shown with stalls beautifully displaying
spices, dried fruit and nuts, in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 29, 2013. Russia
is tightening restrictions on Turkish imports as tensions remain high
between the two countries.
"Our country's stance against Daesh has been clear since the very
beginning," Erdogan said, using the Arabic name for the Islamic State
group. "There is no question mark here. Nobody has the right to dispute
our country's fight against Daesh or to incriminate us."
He also said Turkey was taking precautions to stop oil smuggling at its borders, which has been a key source of revenue for the militant group.
Russia also said Thursday it would subject Turkish food imports to extra scrutiny.
A Kremlin spokesman denied Moscow was imposing an embargo on Turkey, but said the new restrictions were put in place for "various reasons," including the threat of "extremism."
'Repeated violations'
Moscow's agricultural ministry said the reinforced controls on Turkish food and agricultural products were due to "repeated violations" of Russian safety regulations.
Following the order, Russian media reported that trucks carrying Turkish goods were stranded at the border.
The step is similar to the apparently punitive restrictions Russia has placed on other countries following disagreements over foreign policy issues in recent years.
Also, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Moscow would be looking to cut economic ties with Turkey and scrap investment projects in a matter of days in the aftermath of the Turkish downing of a Russian warplane.
Russian
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, center rear, at a government meeting in
Moscow, Russia, Nov. 26, 2015. Medvedev ordered measures drawn up that
would include freezing some joint investment projects with Turkey.
Medvedev instructed the government to draft sanctions against Turkey
within the next two days in a response to the downing of the Russian
Su-24, which he described as an "act of aggression against our country."
The sanctions will include "restrictions and bans on Turkish economic structures operating in Russian territory, restrictions and bans on deliveries of products, including foodstuffs," as well as on labor and services.
Overall, the freeze in relations threatens billions of dollars of international trade, as well as further complicating the Syrian conflict.
Russia is the largest destination for Turkish exports, and the two countries are bound by plans for a new gas pipeline and strong trade in food and tourism.
As recently as in September, Erdogan met with Putin and predicted a tripling of bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next eight years.
'Stab in the back'
Moscow has threatened a tough political and economic response to Turkey's Tuesday downing of the Russian warplane, an incident President Vladimir Putin called a "stab in the back."
The Kremlin on Thursday said Turkey has yet to issue a formal apology for the incident.
This
frame grab from video by Haberturk TV, shows a Russian warplane on fire
before crashing on a hill as seen from Hatay province, Turkey, Nov. 24,
2015.
Russian officials have disputed Turkey's claim that the plane had
violated Turkish airspace and was warned repeatedly before being brought
down. It was the first time in a half-century that a NATO member shot
down a Russian plane.
One of the pilots who parachuted from Su-24 arrived Wednesday at a Russian base in Latakia after being rescued by members of the Syrian army. Alexander Orlov, Russia's ambassador to France, said the second pilot of the downed jet was "killed in a savage way." He was reportedly shot by rebels while parachuting toward the ground.
Speaking to reporters there, the rescued pilot denied that the jet had entered Turkey's airspace "even even for a single second" and insisted that the Turkish authorities had issued "no warnings whatsoever" to the plane before it was shot down.
Audio recordings
However, Turkey released audio recordings of what it said are the Turkish military's repeated warnings to the pilot of the Russian plane before it was shot down at the border with Syria -- audio that grows increasingly more agitated.
The recordings, made available to The Associated Press on Thursday, indicate the plane was warned several times Tuesday that it was approaching Turkey's airspace and asked to change course.
In the recordings, a voice is heard saying in broken English: "This is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard. You are approaching Turkish airspace. Change your heading south immediately."
Most of the audio is garbled and barely comprehensible but the tone of the voice gets more agitated as the warnings appear to go unnoticed.
The audio that was released only involved Turkish warnings, no
replies by a Russian pilot. It was not clear if Russian replies were
received but not released by the Turkish government, or if the Russian
pilots never replied to the warnings or if they never heard the
warnings.
Security threat
Earlier this week, Erdogan said his country was simply defending its security when it shot down the plane. On Thursday, he said the downing of the Russian fighter was an "automatic reaction" in line with standing instructions given to the military.
While Erdogan and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said they do not wish to escalate tensions with Moscow, Russia has announced several responses to the downing.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday the military will send its advanced S-400 missile system to Syria's Latakia province, which borders Turkey. It is also deploying the guided missile cruiser Moskva to the area.
Turkish officials have issued multiple warnings about aircraft violating its airspace during Syria's 4½-year civil war.
end quote from:
In an interview with CNN, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would not apologize for downing the jet.
"I think if there is a party that needs to apologize, it is not us," Erdogan said. "Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize."
His comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin called the shoot-down "totally inexplicable treacherous stabs in the back from those we believed to be our partners and allies in the fight against terror."
Syrian airspace
Putin again insisted that the plane was shot down in Syrian airspace, calling the incident "against common sense and international law."
Immediately after the plane was shot down Tuesday, Putin called the incident a “stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists" that would have "serious consequences."
In separate comments Thursday, Erdogan said the downing of the plane was "an automatic response" in line with the Turkish military's rules of engagement and that Russia had not been specifically targeted.
But he said Turkey would respond in "the same way" should "the same violation happen again today."
Accusations, imports
Earlier Thursday, Erdogan denied Russian accusations it has purchased oil and gas from the Islamic State group while Russia announced it was tightening restrictions on Turkish food imports.
Speaking to local officials in Ankara, Erdogan said his country's fight against the Islamic jihadists was "undisputed." He demanded anyone accusing Turkey of buying from the militants show proof of their accusations.
He also said Turkey was taking precautions to stop oil smuggling at its borders, which has been a key source of revenue for the militant group.
Russia also said Thursday it would subject Turkish food imports to extra scrutiny.
A Kremlin spokesman denied Moscow was imposing an embargo on Turkey, but said the new restrictions were put in place for "various reasons," including the threat of "extremism."
'Repeated violations'
Moscow's agricultural ministry said the reinforced controls on Turkish food and agricultural products were due to "repeated violations" of Russian safety regulations.
Following the order, Russian media reported that trucks carrying Turkish goods were stranded at the border.
The step is similar to the apparently punitive restrictions Russia has placed on other countries following disagreements over foreign policy issues in recent years.
Also, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Moscow would be looking to cut economic ties with Turkey and scrap investment projects in a matter of days in the aftermath of the Turkish downing of a Russian warplane.
The sanctions will include "restrictions and bans on Turkish economic structures operating in Russian territory, restrictions and bans on deliveries of products, including foodstuffs," as well as on labor and services.
Overall, the freeze in relations threatens billions of dollars of international trade, as well as further complicating the Syrian conflict.
Russia is the largest destination for Turkish exports, and the two countries are bound by plans for a new gas pipeline and strong trade in food and tourism.
As recently as in September, Erdogan met with Putin and predicted a tripling of bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next eight years.
'Stab in the back'
Moscow has threatened a tough political and economic response to Turkey's Tuesday downing of the Russian warplane, an incident President Vladimir Putin called a "stab in the back."
The Kremlin on Thursday said Turkey has yet to issue a formal apology for the incident.
One of the pilots who parachuted from Su-24 arrived Wednesday at a Russian base in Latakia after being rescued by members of the Syrian army. Alexander Orlov, Russia's ambassador to France, said the second pilot of the downed jet was "killed in a savage way." He was reportedly shot by rebels while parachuting toward the ground.
Speaking to reporters there, the rescued pilot denied that the jet had entered Turkey's airspace "even even for a single second" and insisted that the Turkish authorities had issued "no warnings whatsoever" to the plane before it was shot down.
Audio recordings
However, Turkey released audio recordings of what it said are the Turkish military's repeated warnings to the pilot of the Russian plane before it was shot down at the border with Syria -- audio that grows increasingly more agitated.
The recordings, made available to The Associated Press on Thursday, indicate the plane was warned several times Tuesday that it was approaching Turkey's airspace and asked to change course.
In the recordings, a voice is heard saying in broken English: "This is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard. You are approaching Turkish airspace. Change your heading south immediately."
Most of the audio is garbled and barely comprehensible but the tone of the voice gets more agitated as the warnings appear to go unnoticed.
Security threat
Earlier this week, Erdogan said his country was simply defending its security when it shot down the plane. On Thursday, he said the downing of the Russian fighter was an "automatic reaction" in line with standing instructions given to the military.
While Erdogan and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said they do not wish to escalate tensions with Moscow, Russia has announced several responses to the downing.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday the military will send its advanced S-400 missile system to Syria's Latakia province, which borders Turkey. It is also deploying the guided missile cruiser Moskva to the area.
Turkish officials have issued multiple warnings about aircraft violating its airspace during Syria's 4½-year civil war.
end quote from:
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