Putin: Downed jet a 'stab in the back'

Putin: Downed jet a 'stab in the back'

Markets roiled, special Nato meeting called as tensions soar

A still image made available from video footage shown by the HaberTurk TV Channel shows a burning trail as a Russian fighter jet comes down after being shot down near the Turkish-Syrian border, over north Syria, on Tuesday. (EPA/Haberturk TV Channel photo)
A still image made available from video footage shown by the HaberTurk TV Channel shows a burning trail as a Russian fighter jet comes down after being shot down near the Turkish-Syrian border, over north Syria, on Tuesday. (EPA/Haberturk TV Channel photo)

ANKARA: President Vladimir Putin accused Turkey of being accomplices of terrorism for shooting down a Russian jet in Syria Tuesday, warning of "very serious consequences" for bilateral ties.

"We understand that everyone has their own interests but we won't allow such crimes to take place," Mr Putin said at talks with Jordanian King Abdullah in Sochi. "We received a stab in the back from accomplices of terrorists."

Nato called for "calm and de-escalation". Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, "The common enemy should be ISIL (the Islamic State) and I would welcome all efforts to fight ISIL. It is important that all of us, also Russia, is guided by the overarching goal of defeating ISIL."

Mr Putin spoke after Turkey said two F-16 jets shot down a Russian warplane that violated its airspace 10 times within a five-minute period along the Syrian border, marking the first direct clash between foreign powers embroiled in the civil war.

The fate of the aircraft's two pilots was unclear last night. Syrian opposition sources said one pilot was dead and another missing. Later, Turkey's news agency Dogan reported Turkmen commanders stating their forces shot both pilots while they were parachuting down, and that they have the bodies.

Mr Putin rejected the accusations that the Russian plane running sorties in Syria had violated Turkish airspace, saying it did not pose any threat to Turkey.

"Our plane was shot down over the territory of Syria by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 jet. It fell in Syrian territory four kilometres from the border with Turkey," Mr Putin said. "Our pilots and our plane did not in any way threaten Turkey."

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended the shooting down of the jet, saying Turkey has the right "to take all kinds of measures" against border violations according to international laws.

Mr Davutoglu said Turkey will not hesitate to take all steps to protect the country's security, calling it Turkey's "national duty". He stressed that the action did not amount to an aggression against any foreign territory.

At Turkey's request, ambassadors of the 28 Nato member states met Tuesday night (Thailand time) in Brussels to discuss the incident, the military alliance said in a statement.

"At the request of Turkey, the North Atlantic Council will hold an extraordinary meeting ... The aim of this extraordinary NAC is for Turkey to inform Allies about the downing of a Russian airplane," an alliance official said. "Nato is monitoring the situation closely. We are in contact with Turkish authorities."

A protester waves Turkey's national flag while others shout slogans in front of the Russian Istanbul consulate during a demonstration against Russia's Syria policy on Nov 24. (AFP photo)

Russia's Defence Ministry summoned Turkey's military attache in Moscow over the incident, the embassy said, while Turkey summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to Ankara to protest violations of its airspace, a Turkish official said.

Dozens of people gathered outside the Russian Consulate in Istanbul to protest Russian operations in Turkmen regions of Syria, chanting: "Turkmen brothers are not alone" and "Killer Russia, get out of Syria", as people also stood outside Turkey's embassy in Moscow.

Calling for calm, European Union president Donald Tusk tweeted: "In this dangerous moment after downing of Russian jet, all should remain cool headed and calm."

The fighter jet exploded in mid-air, crashing in a fireball onto a mountain on the Syrian side of the border, television pictures showed.

Turkey released a map that it said showed that the plane, flying east, was shot down as it transited a narrow finger of Turkish land less than 3km wide that juts down into Syria.

"The aircraft entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yaylidag, in the southeastern Hatay province," a Turkish military statement read. "The plane was warned 10 times in the space of five minutes before it was taken down."

A Turkish official repeated that, saying: "In line with the military rules of engagement, the Turkish authorities repeatedly warned an unidentified aircraft that they were 15 kilometres or less away from the border."

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing matters of national security, said that the pilot ignored the warnings and flew into Turkish airspace. "The Turkish air forces responded by downing the aircraft," the official said.

There were also reports last night that in another incident, a Russian military helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing after coming under fire from Syrian rebels.


EARLIER REPORT

BEIRUT / BRUSSELS -- The Turkish air force shot down a Russian fighter plane near the border with Syria Tuesday, with Syrian rebels saying they killed one member of the crew after he ejected.

The Turkish military said that a plane of unknown nationality was shot down after violating Turkish airspace and ignoring warnings, state news agency Anadolu reported. The agency cited presidential sources saying the plane was Russian.

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that a jet taking part in operations in Syria "crashed on the territory of Syria, supposedly shot down from the ground."

The plane had been flying at 6,000 metres and was over Syrian territory throughout its flight as "registered by objective monitoring data," the ministry said.

A special session of the Nato military alliance was called for 1am Bangkok time at the request of Turkey, which is a member state.

"The aim of this extraordinary ... meeting is for Turkey to inform allies about the downing of a Russian airplane," Nato spokeswoman Carmen Romero said.

"Nato is monitoring the situation closely. We are in close contact with Turkish authorities," she added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Turkey's decision to down the plane a "stab in the back".

"Today's tragic event will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations," Mr Putin said during a televised meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. "We will of course carefully analyse everything that happened."

European stock markets slid on Tuesday as jitters about instability in the Middle East intensified. Turkish lira, stocks and bonds dropped. The lira weakened the most among 24 currencies across emerging markets at 7.30 pm Bangkok time, depreciating 0.5% to 2.8643 against the dollar. The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index of stocks dropped to the lowest level in almost a month and two-year bonds declined.

In Europe, France's CAC 40 was down 1.8% at 4,801 while the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares fell 1% to 6,240. Germany's DAX was 1.1% lower at 10,972. Wall Street was poised for a lower opening with both Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures 0.4% lower.

Previous warning

Turkey has previously warned Russia against incursions into its airspace during its operations against Syrian rebel forces and Islamist extremists.

Ankara backs Syrian rebels, while Moscow in September launched an air campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's overstretched forces.

A Syrian rebel group operating in the Jabal al-Turkoman area near the Turkish border said its fighters had killed one of the two crew members who ejected from the plane after it was hit.

"During their fall, they tried repeatedly to direct their parachutes to arrive on land controlled by the dictator Bashar al-Assad," said Jabir Ahmad, spokesman of the Tenth Coastal Brigade, in a Facebook message to the German Press Agency.

Mr Ahmad said that "our men of the 10th Coastal Brigade machine gun company were able to hit him before he got away and his corpse fell in the liberated area."

Videos posted on social media appeared to show rebels surrounding the body of what they said was a Russian pilot.

Analyst Charles Lister wrote on Twitter that the Tenth Coastal Brigade is a Free Syrian Army group "with logistical links to the US-Saudi-Turkey backed 'MOM' operations room" which coordinates support for moderate rebel forces.

Russia said preliminary data indicated that the pilots had ejected and efforts were under way to define their status.

Mr Ahmad said the plane crashed near the Jabal Zahieh area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, says that rebels and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda have made gains against government forces there in recent days.

The Observatory, which monitors the conflict through a network of local activists, reported that Russian helicopters were searching the area where the plane came down.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We have to be patient, it is a very serious incident, but again, without all of the information it is impossible to say anything and it would be wrong," according to state news agency Tass.

He would not discuss the status of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's scheduled visit to Turkey this week.

Mr Putin is meeting Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi to discuss the crisis in Syria and the Islamic State.

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