Page 9 - ATD28NOV2015

WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 28 November 2015

Russia suspends visa-free travel with Turkey over jet crisis

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, rear-centre, poses a meeting is possible. ing it as a partner. previously agreed radio
for a photo with students and officials of Bayburt University in Asked why Putin hasn’t Speaking to reporters after frequency before downing
Bayburt, Turkey, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. Russia announced Friday picked up the phone to Friday’s Cabinet meeting, the plane. He insisted that
that it will suspend visa-free travel with Turkey amid the esca- respond to Erdogan’s two Kurtulmus said that Turkey the Russian Su-24 bomber
lating spat over the downing of a Russian warplane by a Turkish phone calls, he said that would not have shot down hadn’t veered into Turkey’s
fighter jet at the Syrian border. (AP Photo/Yasin Bulbul, Pool “we have seen that the the plane if it had known airspace, and also claimed
) Turkish side hasn’t been it was Russian and said that the Turkish F-16 fighter
ready to offer an elemen- this is what Turkish officials jet flew into Syria’s airspace
tary apology over the have told senior Russian for 40 seconds to down the
plane incident.” officials. He added that if Russian plane. The tug-
Turkey’s Deputy Prime the pilots had responded of-war between the two
Minister Numan Kurtulmus to the Turkish warnings and countries has been driven
voiced hope that Moscow informed them that they by a clash of their leaders’
would keep military and were Russians, the shooting personal ambitions. Putin
diplomatic channels open wouldn’t have occurred and Erdogan have been
and added that Ankara either. frequently compared to
was mulling possible mea- In Moscow, Russian air each other. Both are pop-
sures in response to Rus- force chief, Col.-Gen. Vik- ulist leaders who frequently
sian economic sanctions. tor Bondarev, reaffirmed crack down on critics and
He said that Turkey doesn’t Friday that Turkey hadn’t often revert to anti-West-
think Russia would risk los- issued any warnings on a ern rhetoric.q

VLADIMIR also ordered the deploy-
ISACHENKOV ment of the long-range
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia S-400 air defense missile
announced Friday that it systems to a Russian air
will suspend visa-free travel base in Syria just 50 kilo-
with Turkey amid the esca- meters (30 miles) south of
lating spat over the down- the border with Turkey to
ing of a Russian warplane help protect Russian war-
by a Turkish fighter jet at planes, and the Russian
the Syrian border. military warned it would
Russian Foreign Minister shoot down any aerial tar-
Sergey Lavrov announced get that would pose a po-
that Moscow will halt the tential threat to its planes.
existing visa-free regime The military also moved
starting Jan. 1, saying that the missile cruiser Moskva
Turkey has become a con- closer to the shore to help
duit for terrorists and has cover Russian bombers om
been reluctant to share combat missions.
information with Moscow Turkish President Recep
about Russian citizens ac- Tayyip Erdogan refused to
cused of involvement in apologize for the plane’s
terrorist activities. downing, which Ankara
Turkey’s downing of the said came after it flew for
Russian military jet Tuesday, 17 seconds into Turkish air-
the first time in half a cen- space. At the same timed,
tury that a NATO member Erdogan said he has tried
shot down a Russian plane, in vain to speak by phone
has drawn a harsh re- to Putin to discuss the situ-
sponse from Moscow. Rus- ation and expressed hope
sia has since restricted tour- they could meet at the
ist travel, left Turkish trucks sidelines of a climate sum-
stranded at the border, mit in Paris next Monday.
confiscated large quanti- Putin’s foreign affairs ad-
ties of Turkish food imports viser Yuri Ushakov said Fri-
and started preparing a day that the Kremlin had
raft of broader economic received Erdogan’s re-
sanctions. quest for a meeting, but
President Vladimir Putin has wouldn’t say whether such