Turkey warns Russia after jet incursions
Print Edition
TURKEY’S prime minister vowed yesterday to take all necessary measures to protect Turkey’s borders from violation after a Russian fighter jet entered its airspace over the weekend, prompting Turkey to scramble jets and summon the Russian ambassador in protest.
Russia admitted the plane had entered Turkey “by mistake” and assured Ankara it wouldn’t happen again, he said. But a senior US official said the Obama administration doesn’t believe the incursion was an accident, and officials are in urgent talks with allies about what to do.
In Madrid, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that Washington is conferring with Turkish leaders about the infringement.
The incident comes amid Turkish concerns over Russian airstrikes in Syria that have targeted some foreign-backed insurgents. Turkey and Russia also have conflicting positions on the Syrian government, with Russia backing President Bashar Assad and Turkey insisting on his ouster.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Haber Turk television that NATO-member Turkey would enforce its rules of engagement if its airspace is violated. Those rules call for the treatment of any element approaching the Turkish border from Syria as an enemy.
A Foreign Ministry statement said that a Russian warplane entered Turkey’s airspace near the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province on Saturday. Two F-16 jets intercepted the Russian aircraft and forced it to fly back into the Syrian airspace.
Also yesterday, Turkey’s military said a MIG-29 jet had harassed two Turkish F-16s for five minutes and 40 seconds on Sunday by locking its radar onto them. In a brief statement, the military said the incident occurred while 10 F-16s were patrolling the Turkish-Syrian border. The military said it didn’t know which country the MIG-29 belonged to.
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