Leaders move to avert war
NATO, US back Turkey in action vs Russian plane
US President Barack Obama and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Tuesday about the need to de-escalate tensions with Russia, the White House said.
Obama expressed “US and NATO support for Turkey’s right to defend its sovereignty,” the White House said in a statement.
“The leaders agreed on the importance of de- escalating the situation and pursuing arrangements to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” the statement said.
Germany expressed concern yesterday about the incident and urged Moscow and Ankara to do everything in their power to avoid a further escalation of tensions.
China called for more coordination in the fight against terrorism, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei saying Beijing was paying close attention and waiting for “further clarification” on circumstances leading to the incident.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the military alliance stands by key ally Turkey.
“As we have repeatedly made clear, we stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally, Turkey,” Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting of all 28 members requested by Ankara.
“I look forward to further contacts between Ankara and Moscow and call for calm and
de-escalation. Diplomacy and de-escalation are important to resolve this situation,” he said.
Stoltenberg said he had warned repeatedly of the dangers posed by Russia’s massive air campaign against rebels seeking to oust longtime ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.
“This highlights the importance of having and respecting arrangements to avoid such incidents in the future,” he said.
A NATO diplomat said there was strong support for Turkey at the meeting but also calls “for a measured response to ensure this does not happen again.”
“This was a serious incident and we don’t want it to derail progress made in building a common front against Islamic State,” said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.
Erdogan, for his part, yesterday said Turkey did not want any escalation with Russia.
“We have no intention to escalate this incident. We are just defending our security and the rights of our brothers,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul.
“Turkey has never favored tensions and crisis, it has and will always favor peace and dialogue,” said Erdogan.
But he added: “No one should expect us to remain silent when our border security and our sovereignty are being violated.”
Erdogan said that the incident early on Tuesday showed “what kind of consequences careless steps could have.”
He revealed that two Turkish citizens were wounded by pieces of the Russian plane that fell on the Turkish side of the border.
The president dismissed Russian claims that the plane had been on an anti- terror mission against Islamic State jihadists in northern Syria, saying that the area was populated by Syria’s Turkmen minority.
“No one should ever fool themselves: There are no Daesh (IS) elements in the Bayirbucak region where Turkmen live,” said Erdogan.
Putin, for his part, backed a recommendation from the foreign ministry for Russians not to visit Turkey after the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Ankara. “After such tragic events like the destruction of our plane and the death of our pilot, this is a necessary measure,” Putin said in televised comment.