Turkey endangered lives of Russians on Syria-bound plane – Foreign Ministry

Published time: October 11, 2012 08:38
Edited time: October 12, 2012 16:38
Building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow (RIA Novosti / Ruslan Krivobok)

Ankara endangered Russians by diverting a flight from Moscow to Damascus, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. Moscow expressed anger at not being informed that Russians were involved in the incident, and that their diplomats were denied access to them.

“We are troubled that the lives of the passengers aboard the plane, including 17 Russian citizens were put at risk by this inappropriate act. Turkey did not inform Russia that Russian citizens were among those detained on the plane. We found this out through the press,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich said.

The Russian embassy in Turkey demanded access to the Russian citizens and dispatched consular officers and doctors to the Ankara airport. Turkish authorities, however, denied the Russian diplomats access to the passengers, in violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The Russian nationals were detained in the airport for eight hours.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has demanded an explanation from Turkish authorities, and that Ankara take steps to prevent future such incidents.

Turkey defended the move by claiming that the plane could have carried “non-civilian cargo.”

“There were no arms and military equipment aboard the civilian aircraft – and could not be,” a source in Russia’s military industry told Interfax news agency.

Russia has maintained its military-technical cooperation with Syria, and that any arms or military equipment sales to Damascus are conducted according to established practice. The current law expressly forbids arms sales facilitated by civilian aircraft.

­

'Air piracy’

­Syrian transport minister Mahoumd Said said that Turkey’s detention of the passenger aircraft is tantamount to “air piracy,” and violates civil aviation treaties, Lebanon’s al-Manar TV channel reported.

Tensions between Turkey and Syria rose after a Syrian shell killed five civilians in the border town of Akcakale last week. Turkey returned fire and said it would retaliate against any future provocation originating in Syria. NATO supported Turkey’s move and pledged to defend the country should the Syrian conflict spill across the border.

Comments (49)

Tony (unregistered) 12.10.2012 23:51

Turkey is just a small fry puppet at the service of imperial Britain, no different than Syria is a small fry puppet of Russia.The Anglo crusaders have Russia under siege and, prior to their final offensive, they are destroying buffer zone around Russia, which happens to be Islam.

+1

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limaray (unregistered) 12.10.2012 07:26

Great points from R.W. Emerson. Peace keepers are the least Russia
should send it.
While supporting it's Syrian ally it will all them to send a message to the West while not being tricked into a destructive war.
Despite all those innocent people being killed in Syria the western elite have placed everything they can on war to solve their econmic problems.
Not taking the bait as erdogan the fool took his is one of the best ways for Russia to stay victorious.
A show of might from Russia however to indicate it's stance on Syria is required.
Then eventually the West will see it's troubles are theres with the problems they could not avoid. Russia, Iran, China and Syria among the countries to prosper.
Especial ly after the bill for all this destruction is sent to those responsible.

+4

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R.W. Emerson II 12.10.2012 04:27

Clearly, Turkey was acting on orders from the U.S., NATO or Israel. When a crime is committed, the police strive to identify the mastermind. Russia should follow the same approach. At the U.N., Lavrov should ask Turkey to divulge the name of its master, and should call for sanctions against the mastermind. Since Turkey claims to be threatened by Syria, Russia should offer to send peace-keepers to the Syrian border. The peace-keepers would help to stop the influx of terrorists from Turkey.Since Erdogan seems to have gone mad, Russia should send a "Peace Flotilla" to Turkey, with humanitarian supplies for the Turkish peace movement.Many people here are calling for a brute-force military response from Russia. It may be that the purpose of this act of air piracy is to elicit just such a response. Our Zionist media will then depict Russia as the aggressor, and will call for NATO aggression "in return". At economic response can also backfire. For this reason, Russia should seek non-military non-economic ways to respond. Here, Russia can learn from the Ziosphere. Here, we promote war in every way one can imagine. We have "human rights organizations" selling war as a "humanitarian" act. We have neo-cons promoting was as "Liberation". We have the music industry operating as a subversive fifth-column. Russia should be just as imaginative in RESISTING war and promoting peace! Where are the Russian artists and musicians coming to Syria's defense, for example? Russia is losing respect, because it does NOTHING. NOTHING is not good enough!

+5

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