A Russian warplane has strayed into Turkish airspace, forcing Ankara to hastily scramble two F-16 jets to intercept the intruding aircraft, NBC News reported.
The Russian ambassador to Turkey was summoned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday regarding the incident that took place over the weekend. Turkish officials also said that they had notified Washington of the incident, warning that if Russia repeated the violation of Turkish airspace it would be held "responsible for any undesired incident that may occur." This worrisome incident will further fuel concerns that unless Moscow and the U.S.-led coalition cooperate in their operations in Syria, there will be incidents of aerial friendly fire, or even a collision of aircraft above the Syrian airspace.
Turkey shares a long border with Syria, and this incident is said to have happened in the border Province of Hatay, according to The Guardian. And in a show of solidarity, the UK ambassador to Turkey was quick to add that Turkey, a NATO member, had the total backing of the other members.
"Russia's incursion into Turkish airspace is reckless and worrying. UK, and its other NATO allies, stands shoulder to shoulder with Turkey," reiterated Richard Moore, UK's top diplomat in Turkey.
It has also emerged that Turkey has lodged an official protest with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister; an indication of just how seriously it views this violation of its airspace by Russia.
Turkey has the second largest military in NATO and its air force was conducting routine patrols in the area at the time of the incident, Reuters reported. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan recently criticized the entry of Russia into the Syrian war theater, terming it a "grave mistake." "Assad has committed state terrorism, and unfortunately you find Russia and Iran defending (him)," said Erdogan. "Those countries that collaborate with the regime will account for it in history."
