Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov dismissed Ankara's statement as "propaganda", arguing that Russian and Syrian air radar units did not detect any violations and that there has long been no radio contact between Turkish and Russian air forces. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed that their fighter jet did not violate Turkish airspace.
"Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again," he added.Įrdogan said the Turkish Foreign Ministry had made contact with Russia to arrange a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the incident, but added that Ankara had yet to receive a response.
NATO has confirmed the airspace violation: "I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. "Russia will have to bear the consequences if the violations continue," he said. Speaking to reporters at Istanbul Ataturk Airport before his departure for Chile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the violation of Turkish airspace, which he also described as NATO airspace, was a result of Russian attempts to escalate existing tension in the region. The Turkish Air Force has declared an 'orange alert' in key bases around the country, military sources have said.
local time in Turkey ," the statement read. "A Russian SU-34 fighter jet violated Turkish airspace yesterday (Jan. Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that a Russian fighter jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday.Īn official statement released on Saturday said that the Russian craft - a SU-34 fighter-bomber - was repeatedly warned by Turkish air radar units in Russian and English.