Former Turkey PM confirms to have given order for downing Russian jet

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that he gave the order for the shooting of a Russian plane in November last year, adding that the order didn’t refer to a specific plane but was a general instruction for the protection of Turkish skies, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“Within our state’s customs, the prime minister gives the rules of engagement in a written directive to the General Staff. I gave the order on October 10,” Davutoglu said at an interview with private broadcaster NTV on July 15.

“These rules of engagement will be implemented not only on Syrian planes but all that intrusions into the Turkish air space,” the Oct. 10 instruction read according to Davutoglu, adding that such a change came after repeated violations by Russian jets during their operations in Syria.

Turkish jets downed the Russian plane on Nov. 24, leading to a bilateral diplomatic crisis that only recently eased after President Recep Tayyip Erodgan sent an apology letter late in July to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

There was no problem with the implementation of the rules of engagement because the issue concerned the protection of Turkey’s airspace, Davutoglu said.