Obama, NATO back Turkey over downed Russian plane

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. President Barack Obama has said Turkey has a right to defend its territory and airspace, and that the incident pointed to ongoing problems with Russia's military operations in Syria, BBC News reports.

Also, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg offered support for Ankara on Tuesday, November 24, after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border and rejected any suggestion that the incident happened outside of Turkey's borders, according to Reuters.

Asked if there was any possibility that the plane was actually shot down inside Syria, Stoltenberg said: "The allied assessments that we have are consistent with the information we have from Turkey," he told a news conference.

"We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally," Stoltenberg said.

Turkish fighter jets shot down a warplane near the Syrian border after it violated Turkey's airspace on Tuesday.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the downed jet is a Russian one, refuting the news that the plane crossed the Syrianborder into Turkish skies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Turkey “accomplices of terrorists” and warned of “serious consequences” after a Turkish F-16 jet shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday, the first time a Nato country and Moscow have exchanged direct fire over the crisis in Syria, the Guardian reports.

The Russian president, speaking before a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Sochi, said the plane had been shot down over Syrian airspace and fell 4km inside Syria. Putin said it was “obvious” the plane posed no threat to Turkey.