Russia has promised retaliation after the downing of the SU-24 and demanded Turkey offer an apology and compensation. Diplomatic contacts between the two countries have come to a near halt amid Russian accusations that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his family benefit from an oil trade with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a claim categorically denied by Erdoğan and the government.
Demirtaş said the downing of the Russian jet was “not a right move” but added that the crisis should not be allowed to hurt the Turkish and Russian peoples. “People of Turkey have no responsibility in the current crisis,” he said.
“There could be crises between countries but we always favor that diplomatic channels be kept open and problems be resolved through dialogue,” he said.
Speaking at the start of his meeting with Demirtaş, Lavrov said the Russian-Turkish relations were not in a positive state but added that this does not apply to the Turkish people. “Our stance against the Turkish government will not be expanded to include the Turkish people,” he was quoted as saying by private Cihan news agency.
Lavrov also said Russia valued the HDP's views on the Syrian conflict and said it was aware that the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds led a fight against ISIL on the ground.
Lavrov said Russia, which has been conduction air strikes against groups fighting against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is ready for an “active cooperation” with those who fight against ISIL on the ground.
todayszaman.com
23/12/15
--
-
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Turkish PM accuses pro-Kurdish party head of treason over Russia comments...
ReplyDeletePrime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused the head of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party of treason on Thursday for using a trip to Moscow to condemn Ankara's shooting down of a Russian warplane over Syria.
Selahattin Demirtas, co-head of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), met foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday and criticized Ankara for shooting down the warplane near the border with Syria last month. Moscow denies it had entered Turkish airspace.
"They take sides with whoever Turkey is facing a crisis with. Demirtas saying in Moscow that Turkey's downing of Russian jet was wrong is a total disgrace and treason," Davutoglu told a meeting of businessmen in Ankara.
"Our main duty is to raise our voice against Russian cruelty. Supporting Russia while it kills civilians in Syria is treason not only against this country, but also against humanity.".....reuters.com
24/12/15