November 27, 2015
NATO Stands in ‘Solidarity with Turkey,’ Calls for ‘Calm and De-Escalation’ After Russian Fighter Jet Shot Down
Nov. 24, 2015 1:19pm
Liz Klimas
NATO held an emergency meeting Tuesday after Turkey admitted to shooting down a Russian fighter jet at the Syrian border after it violated its airspace.
NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that “we stand in solidarity with Turkey” in the meeting called at the request of Turkey.
“I have previously expressed my concerns about the implications of the military actions of the Russian Federation close to NATO borders,” Stoltenberg said. “This highlights the importance of having and respecting arrangements … in the future.”
Stoltenberg went on to “call for calm and de-escalation.”
“Diplomacy and de-escalation are important to solve this situation,” he said, adding in response to a question that information from other NATO allies was consistent with information provided by Turkey regarding the incident.
Turkey said the Russian plane violated Turkish airspace and repeatedly ignored its warnings to leave. Moscow, however, said the plane was inside Syria when it was shot down.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkey’s decision to down a Russian warplane near the Syria border a “stab in the back.”
A Turkish military statement said the plane entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province.
