“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 yesterday 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.”
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.
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