02:53Russia: Before Su-24 downing Putin apologized to Erdogan over previous airspace violation
Prior to the downing of the Russian Su-24, President Vladimir Putin had personally apologized to Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan for a previous violation of Turkish airspace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow, Wednesday. "Putin spoke to Erdogan personally: it was a subsidiary violation, which by no means meant that we are planning any military actions against Turkey, which Turkey knew very well," Lavrov stated. He described the November 24 downing of the Russian plane by Turkey as a "stab in the back."
Lavrov also stressed that Russia views the Su-24 bomber's downing as an attempt to disrupt counterterrorism efforts in the region. He added that the plane may also have been downed in a bid to "prevent the Russian Federation from working in Syrian airspace, or perhaps even to derail the political process that's beginning to take shape on the basis of the Vienna agreement.”
Lavrov also said that Moscow had long known about the use of Turkish territory for the training of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, but had been reluctant to talk about it publicly, not wanting to believe that official support came from Ankara.
02:53Prior to the downing of the Russian Su-24, President Vladimir Putin had personally apologized to Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan for a previous violation of Turkish airspace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow, Wednesday. "Putin spoke to Erdogan personally: it was a subsidiary violation, which by no means meant that we are planning any military actions against Turkey, which Turkey knew very well," Lavrov stated. He described the November 24 downing of the Russian plane by Turkey as a "stab in the back."
Lavrov also stressed that Russia views the Su-24 bomber's downing as an attempt to disrupt counterterrorism efforts in the region. He added that the plane may also have been downed in a bid to "prevent the Russian Federation from working in Syrian airspace, or perhaps even to derail the political process that's beginning to take shape on the basis of the Vienna agreement.”
Lavrov also said that Moscow had long known about the use of Turkish territory for the training of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, but had been reluctant to talk about it publicly, not wanting to believe that official support came from Ankara.