Russia’s involvement in Syrian war has led to significant changes, including “shrinking” of the Islamic State, President Bashar al-Assad said.
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Ministers at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation meeting are to review measures adopted by the alliance after the Ukraine crisis to upgrade readiness levels and reassure nervous members in eastern Europe once ruled from Moscow that the alliance would stand by them.
Aiming to head off the rift, U.S. President Barack Obama, urged Turkey and Russian Federation on Tuesday to set aside their tensions and focus on the common priority of defeating the Islamic State group.
Turkey insists the Russian plane violated its airspace despite numerous warnings it issued to the Russian pilots and has said it won’t apologize for the downing, which killed a Russian pilot.
Yet in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama also vouched for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally’s right to self-defense, and he pledged a solid US commitment “to Turkey’s security and its sovereignty”.
The available information indicates the warplane was in Turkish airspace, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. Cut to Wednesday’s news conference in Moscow: Officials presented photographs of what they said were oil-delivery convoys at Syria’s border with Turkey.
Nevertheless, Mr Obama said he anticipated Russian Federation would be convinced of the importance of Mr Assad to leave power.
After the US and EU imposed sanctions on Russia for its role in the conflict in Ukraine, Russia retaliated with restrictions on the importation of food from the European Union and other western countries in August.
“We have received additional data that confirms [ISIL] oil… enters the territory of Turkey”, Putin said.
Bugun’s headline read “Turkey is not responsible” and cited the prime minister as saying Turkey is ready to hold talks with Russian Federation to defuse tension between the two.
Erdogan went on to say on November 30 that if the claims prove to be false, Putin should be the one to step down.
Erdoğan said last week that Turkey only buys oil from legitimate sources and Ankara is actively fighting fuel smuggling in the state.
Bilateral agreement on visa-free travel was suspended, together with charter flights between the two countries except those meant to repatriate Russian tourists from Turkey.
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The closure is aimed at stopping the movement of illegal oil as well as the flow of foreign fighters from Syria to Turkey. Obama said don’t expect a 180 degree turn on Russian strategy within the next several weeks, and America should not have any illusions on ISIS targets being hit by Russia anytime in the coming weeks or near future.
