Finland Times

 

File Photo AFP-Lehtikuva

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned Russia of "consequences" if it continues to violate Turkish airspace.

 

"If Russia continues to violate Turkey's sovereignty, it will have to face the consequences," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before leaving for a visit to Chile.

 

He blamed Russia for acting "irresponsibly" and escalating the tension in the region, while emphasizing that the issue was closely followed by NATO.

 

"These kinds of irresponsible acts not only damage NATO-Russian relations but also the regional and global peace," the president stressed, as his country is a NATO member.

 

Erdogan said that he hoped to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin but to no avail.

 

Earlier, Turkish foreign ministry said it summoned Russian ambassador to Ankara late Friday over Russia's SU-34 violation of Turkey's airspace.

 

"Turkish air elements warned the aircraft of Russian Federation several times on Friday in Russian and English. This violation is also a new and concrete indicator of Russian Federation's actions which aims accelerating problems despite open warnings by our country and by NATO," the ministry said in a written statement.

 

The Turkish foreign ministry has urged Russia "not to violate Turkish airspace, which is NATO airspace. We underline that such actions could lead to serious consequence," said the statement.

 

"We once more underline that unwanted serious developments as outcome of this kind of irresponsible acts will be on Russian Federation's liability," added the statement.

 

The ministry said all these arguments were conveyed to the Russian ambassador.

 

Turkish air force shot down the Russian jet on Nov. 24 claiming it has violated Turkish airspace, whereas Moscow insisted the Su-24 stayed over Syria during its flight.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded an apology from the Turkish leadership and a compensation for the damage. Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered economic sanctions against Turkey.