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| Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu Reuters during an interview in Istanbul, Turkey, |
Cyber Daily News - Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday asserted that
his government does not want to increase tensions with the "friend" of
Russia, exactly one day after Ankara shoot down Russian warplanes in the
Syrian border.
"We do not intend to damage relations with the Russian Federation. Russia is our friend and our neighboring countries," said Davatoglu before lawmakers from his party.
Previous aircraft belonging to the Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian who violate the sovereignty of the air in the area around the Syrian border. The action is then triggered a strong reaction from Moscow and led President Vladimir Putin warned that Ankara will face major consequences.
Meanwhile Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also canceled his visit to Turkey, while Putin called for citizens not to visit the country.
Davatoglu itself explains that a Russian plane violated Turkish airspace sovereignty forced shot down because it is considered as a "threat." But on the other hand he had urged both sides to ease tensions immediately given Moscow is one of the biggest trading partner of Ankara.
"We have a strong relationship in the economic, commercial and cultural with Russia," he said, adding that the channels of communication links with Moscow is still wide open.But on the other hand he also confirmed that Turkey has the right to protect the border areas and national security.
"Turkey never interfere with other regions of the country. It is not true that we have targeted Russia or other countries," said Davatoglu as reported by AFP.
