The announcement on Sunday that European nations will grant Turkey $3.2 billion in aid in return for Ankara’s cooperation in stemming the flow of refugees from Syria, demonstrates that Turkey has options.
Advertisement
Lt Col Oleg Peshkov’s coffin was flown to the capital from southern Turkey.
The surviving Russian pilot said Turkey had given no warning.
Moscow has responded towards Ankara with fury, calling the episode a pre-planned provocation.
Relations between Turkey and Russian Federation have sharply deteriorated since Tuesday’s incident, with Russian Federation imposing economic sanctions and revoking a visa-free agreement, while Turkey has sought to cool tensions, seeing the Paris climate change talks that start this week as a chance to mend ties.
Included in the measures is a food ban.
Turkey has complained repeatedly about Russian violations of its airspace and harassment of its fighter jets patrolling the fractious border with Syria.
“The economic cost of this per truck is around $50,000 to $60,000 (since last Wednesday)”, Fatih Sener, managing director of Turkey’s International Shippers Association (UND) said in an interview.
– Turkey’s seaside resorts are among the most popular tourism destinations for Russians; for Turkey, Russia is the source of the second-largest number of tourist arrivals after Germany.
The body of the Russian will be prepared in accordance with tradition before being given to Moscow, Xinhua quoted Davutoglu as saying in Ankara before his departure for the EU-Turkey Summit.
Russian Federation has stepped up strikes in northwestern Syrian areas held by enemies of Assad but not Islamic State. Russian officials have said the plane was at no time over Turkey. The bodies of 31 had been identified, with 12 more awaiting identification.
Russia, meanwhile, maintains the jet never entered Turkish territory and was downed over Syria.
Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors the conflict said at least 18 people had died and dozens more were wounded, with the death toll expected to rise.
Russia has banned sales of tour packages to Turkey, Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said Monday. The tanks are expected to be deployed to the border with Syria.
Advertisement
One day after saying Turkey fired missiles as “an automatic reaction to a border breach” – and not knowing the nationality of the plane in question – Erdogan said Saturday, “We wouldn’t have wished this to happen”.
