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Nato chief doubts Russia's violations of Turkish airspace were accidental Turkey 'cannot endure' Russian violation of airspace, president says
(about 2 hours later)
Russian incursions into Turkish airspace over the weekend “don’t look like an accident”, the Nato secretary general has said. A war of words has broken out between Russia and Nato over Moscow’s military intervention in Syria and its violation of Turkish airspace.
Following Russia’s move to launch airstrikes in Syria last week, Jens Stoltenberg also said that Nato had received reports of a substantial Russian military buildup in the country, including ground troops and ships in the eastern Mediterranean. The row threatens to further escalate tensions over Moscow’s airstrikes to support the regime of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad. The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said his country could not endure Russian violations of its airspace in its campaign in Syria and said Russia risked “losing” Turkey.
Stoltenberg said he doubted Russia’s explanation that its airspace violations were a mistake because they happened twice and both lasted longer than just a few seconds. “Nato has issued a stern ultimatum,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying at a press conference in Brussels by local media. “We cannot endure it. Some steps that we do not desire are being taken. It is not suitable for Turkey to accept them. This is also beyond the principles of Nato.”
Stoltenberg said the US-led Nato alliance, of which Turkey is a member, had not received any real explanation of what happened. He had not had any direct contact with Moscow, he said, but Nato has discussed the possibility of using its military lines of communication with Russia. Nato’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, had said earlier on Tuesday that the Russian incursions into Turkish airspace did not appear to be an accident, because the incursions had happened twice and lasted for a long time.
The Russian defence ministry said on Monday that an SU-30 fighter aircraft had entered Turkish airspace along the border with Syria “for a few seconds” on Saturday, a mistake caused by bad weather. Nato says a plane also entered Turkish airspace on Sunday, an assertion Russia says it is looking into. On Monday, Turkey’s foreign ministry said the country had scrambled its fighter jets following a Russian plane’s incursion into its airspace. Separately, the armed forces said a MiG fighter plane had harassed a Turkish squadron of F-16s patrolling the border with Syria, locking its radar on the Turkish warplanes.
A US official told Reuters the incursions lasted more than a few seconds and described Moscow’s assertion that they were an accident as “far-fetched”. “I will not speculate on the motives ... but this does not look like an accident and we have seen two of them,” Stoltenberg was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Turkey has summoned the Russian ambassador to Ankara on two occasions over the incursions. The Russian envoy was warned that similar incidents should not happen again otherwise “Russia would be held responsible”, an official told AFP. The Russian ministry of defence said a SU-30 fighter plane briefly entered Turkish airspace by accident as a result of weather conditions and said its Syria Command had taken the necessary measures to prevent such an incident from reoccurring. It said it had also clarified the situation with its Turkish counterpart.
Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, said on Monday that Ankara would activate military “rules of engagement” irrespective of who violates its airspace. The Russian embassy in Ankara said the country’s envoy was summoned twice on Saturday and Monday to address the incursions, according to the Russian TASS news agency. But the embassy said it was not involved in the MiG plane incident and does not have such planes in its facilities in Syria.
But Russia appeared to walk back claims that it might send volunteer fighters to Syria to assist in ground operations, though the Kremlin said it would not prevent such individuals from aiding the Syrian government.
Adm Vladimir Komoedov, the chairman of the defense committee of Russia’s lower parliament, was quoted by TASS as saying that a ground operation in Syria was “out of the question”.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian government was not involved in efforts by volunteers to travel to Syria to aid the Assad regime, hinting that it would overlook such attempts.
“This issue is not on the agenda at all,” he was quoted as saying. “You are speaking about somebody who will be helping the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic. This has nothing to do with the Kremlin’s agenda.”
Related: Nato condemns Russia over violations of Turkey's airspaceRelated: Nato condemns Russia over violations of Turkey's airspace
“Even if it is a flying bird it will be intercepted,” Davutoğlu said in an interview with Turkish television. Russia and Syrian state TV did not publicise any further airstrikes on Tuesday, after striking targets on Monday in Latakia, Idlib and Homs provinces. The areas are home to various disparate rebel groups, including the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s Syrian wing, and the Russian raids appear to be primarily targeting those rebels that are operating close to the embattled Syrian leader Assad’s coastal strongholds.
Syrian state TV reported that Russian warplanes bombed Isis targets in and around the city of Palmyra on Tuesday. If confirmed, these were Moscow’s first strikes against an Isis-controlled area. Russian airstrikes also appeared to target Islamic State forces in eastern Homs, near the city of Palmyra. Syrian state TV said the attacks destroyed equipment, ammunition depots and rocket launch pads belonging to the militants in and around Palmyra.
Russian warplanes have been flying over Syrian territory since Wednesday, conducting airstrikes on what Moscow says are targets belonging to Islamic State jihadis and other “terrorist” groups in the country’s northern and central provinces. The historic city of Palmyra was seized by Isis in May after a week-long siege that drove out forces loyal to Assad. The terror group has since embarked on a campaign to destroy much of Palmyra’s ancient heritage and exquisitely-preserved monuments.
The west has accused Moscow of using the raids as cover to strike moderate opponents of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. The group has attempted to expand its reach in eastern Homs, seizing gas plants and other strategic territory on the road to the city, which is controlled by the regime and which is seen as a key element of Assad’s hold on the country’s central and western population centres.
Turkey opposes Russian intervention in Syria. The government of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has insisted on Assad’s departure as a prelude to resolving the crisis, and has backed a range of rebel groups fighting to overthrow him.
Last week, Turkey issued a joint statement with its allies involved in the US-backed campaign against Isis that asked Moscow to cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and to focus on fighting Isis.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this reportAgence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report