ISTANBUL/MOSCOW, Nov 26 Russian Federation threatened economic retaliation against Turkey on Thursday and said it was still awaiting a reasonable explanation for the shooting down of its warplane, but Turkey dismissed the threats as “emotional” and “unfitting”.
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While pledging closer cooperation, Putin also harshly criticized Washington for failing to prevent the downing of a Russian warplane engaged in airstrikes in Syria by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member Turkey on Tuesday – an action which underscored the complex military landscape in Syria, where a sprawling cast of countries and rebel groups are engaged on the battlefield and in the skies overhead, sometimes with minimal coordination. Lavrov said the visa-free travel will be suspended starting from January 1.
Speaking in northwest Turkey on Friday, Erdogan said: “There is a summit in Paris, I believe he (Putin) will also attend”.
The Turkish strongman also struck back at Russian “slander” that Turkey was buying oil from the Daesh group.
Relations between the former Cold War antagonists have a hit a recent nadir after Turkey shot down the jet near the Syrian border.
Turkey says the jet was in its airspace when it was targeted, but Russian Federation insists it was flying over Syria.
“The only goal we must have is fighting Daesh and neutralize the terrorists, there is no other goal”.
The incident is not entirely surprising given that ties between Turkey and Russia have been worsening in the last two months over incidents of Russian incursions into Turkish airspace. That included the possible shelving of a multibillion-dollar deal to build a gas pipeline through Turkey that President Vladimir Putin had trumpeted as a welcome alternative route for Russian gas exports to Europe.
The audio that was released only involved Turkish warnings, no replies by a Russian pilot.
The Russian and Turkish leaders are often compared to each other.
Since the plane was downed, Russian Federation has already restricted tourism, left Turkish trucks stranded at the border and announced the confiscation of large quantities of Turkish food imports.
“Turkey’s participation in coalition air strikes is determined by ourselves and our allies alone depending on mutual assessments of military developments on the ground and logistical needs”.
Putin’s move came as Russia, the United State and France all have focused their air strikes on the IS oil infrastructure, seeking to undermine the group’s financial base following the terror attacks in Paris and the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt.
Furious Putin rejects Turkey’s claims it did not know the jet it shot down was Russian.
The standoff between the two prideful leaders boded ill for the mission of President Francois Hollande of France, who met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday as part of his effort after the Paris attacks to cement an worldwide coalition to confront the Islamic State.
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Russian Federation and France will now intensify the exchange of intelligence information and coordinate their strikes against Islamic State militants.
