Turkey's Downing of Russian Su-24 Intensifies Syria Situation – Merkel

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Angela Merkel said that situation with the downing of a Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber by Turkey intensifies even more the situation around Syria.

As “Armenpress” reports, The situation withthe downing ofa Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber byTurkey further intensifies the situation inSyria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 jet crashed inSyria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed byan air-to-air missile launched bya Turkish F-16 jet overSyrian territory, and fell 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) fromthe Turkish border.

Of course yesterday’s crash ofa Russian airplane downed byTurkey makes the situation more intense. We must now do everything so asto avoid an escalation," Merkel said inthe country’s parliament.

Following the Su-24 downing, Ankara claimed it acted inline withits sovereign right torespond tothreats asthe Russian jet had violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 never crossed intoTurkish airspace, inaccordance withprecise objective control data.

The German chancellor added that every country has the right toprovide security forits territory, butthe overall situation inSyria and neighboring regions was "tense."

Merkel held talks withTurkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu onTuesday and asked Ankara "to do everything possible toalleviate the situation."