Russian officials have expressed sharp disapproval of Ankara's handling of Russian-Turkish communications after a Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down by Turkish forces on Tuesday, Russian media reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that “there had been no dialogue between Russia and Turkey” following the incident, the Vesti.ru news website reported on Wednesday afternoon.
Peskov added that it was too early to speak about the future of ongoing joint Russian-Turkish projects.
“Everything will […] surely be subjected to thorough analysis,” he was quoted as saying by Vesti.ru.
Peskov added that “a question mark also hung over Russian-Turkish cooperation in the fight against terrorism.” However, it would not affect cooperation with other members of the Western anti-Islamic State coalition, he said.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that “not even border protection [considerations] justified escalating tensions with NATO,” the Vedomosti newspaper reported Wednesday.
He added that “the Russian side had evidence that some Turkish officials had a direct financial interest in buying crude oil products from Islamic State,” the report said.
Meanwhile, a number of conciliatory gestures were made by Turkish officials on Wednesday.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan said that he “did not wish to see the crisis in Russian-Turkish relations escalate” following the incident, the BBC's Russian news service reported.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu echoed his statement and added that the Turkish side would pass on information about the attack on the Russian jet to Moscow, the RBC news portal wrote.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, had called him personally to offer his condolences, RBC said in a separate report.
Russia “is not considering withdrawing its ambassador from Ankara at present,” the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday, citing Foreign Ministry sources.
Islamic State is a terrorist group banned in Russia.
Contact the author at newsreporter@imedia.ru
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
