ISTANBUL: Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Tuesday that an F-16 Turkish fighter jet had shot down the Russian Sukhoi Su-24 with an air-to-air missile, and insisted the jet had been in Syrian airspace at the time.
An angry Putin said the episode would have “serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations”. He called the shooting down of the Russian jet a “stab in the back” by those who “abet” terrorism. Accusing Turkey of aiding the Islamic State by helping it sell its oil, Putin said he found it suspicious that Turkey had reached out to its NATO allies after the episode but not to Moscow.
Meanwhile, Turkey Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ordered the Foreign Ministry to consult with NATO and the United Nations as NATO allies are understood to be holding an “extraordinary” meeting.
“At the request of Turkey, the North Atlantic Council will hold an extraordinary meeting at (1600 GMT). The aim of this extraordinary NAC is for Turkey to inform Allies about the downing of a Russian airplane,” a NATO official said. “NATO is monitoring the situation closely. We are in contact with Turkish authorities.”
Credible reports emerged from rebel forces in northern Syria where the Russian jet went down, that rebels shot down a Russian helicopter sent to the scene of the crash to look for survivors.
