Seven months later, Turkey apologises for downing Russian jet

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Turkey's president has apologised to Moscow for the downing of a Russian military jet at the Syrian border, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

Putin has received a message from Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing his "sympathy and deep condolences'' to the family of the killed pilot and apologised, Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russia reacted with ire after Turkey in November shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber at the Syrian border for allegedly violating its airspace.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/81520253/seven-months-later-turkey-apologises-for-downing-russian-jet

[yourpaljoey]

1. interesting

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2. Very.

I figured he would have to do it eventually, and he is doing it now because the anti-Assad forces in Syria are losing, the border is closing, and his allies in the West are in disorder, to say the least.

Erdogan is making up with Bibi too.

[yourpaljoey]

3. What a difference a day makes

There goes his ISIS-oil gravy train.
That's gotta hurt.
He needs to apply to Uncle Sam for some...
aid and assistance of some sort.
Perhaps NATO needs to place more of those
defensive missiles on the northern border...
facing north east?

[bemildred]

4. I think Erdogan and Bibi and the Sauds/GCC are going to unite.

Last edited Mon Jun 27, 2016, 01:19 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't think that will work well.

I think the EU and USA will be much too busy domestically to interfere effectively and Putin will make them all pay for interfereing in his affairs.

But there are lots of other dominoes teetering, no need to focus on Erdogan, whose 15 minutes are up.

[yourpaljoey]

5. I think Putin is having way too much fun

I wonder what Erdogan and Bibi and the Sauds think they can get away
with with Russian Bear sitting in the middle of the sand box.

(I said with with!)

[bemildred]

6. Me too. nt

[bemildred]

7. Turkey plays diplomatic chess in Middle East

The normalisation agreement signed between Israel and Turkey creates what might be termed a "new normal".

There will be no going back to the close strategic ties of the 1990s - major arms deals, for example, are unlikely.

The formal improvement of ties, which will lead to the return of ambassadors, has been accompanied by a more recent effort by the Turks to reconcile with Russia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered a full apology to Moscow for Turkey's shooting down of a Russian warplane on the Turkish-Syrian frontier in November 2015.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36650141

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8. Turkey says must work with Russia for political solution in Syria

Turkey and Russia should work together for a political solution to the Syria crisis, RIA news agency quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday.

Ankara is fighting directly with Islamic State, this is why Turkey is a target for terrorists, RIA also quoted Cavusoglu as saying in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Cavusoglu also said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan could meet in August in Sochi, Interfax news agency reported.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-turkey-syria-idUSKCN0ZH4G3?il=0

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9. After Erdogan apology, Russia brings Turkey in from the cold

Outside the Turkish Embassy in Moscow there is a heap of flowers and a hand-coloured paper flag left in sympathy after this week's suicide attack in Istanbul.

The pile is small and the carnations have wilted in the sun, but the gesture reflects a dramatically different mood to last November when hundreds of Russians came here to hurl stones, eggs and insults.

The breakdown in relations came after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian military plane on the border with Syria. The pilot was killed as he attempted to parachute to safety.

Vladimir Putin lashed out, calling it a stab in the back and state media here echoed his furious tone. The airwaves filled with talk of treachery.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36689801

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10. Turkey proposes cooperation with Russia in fighting Islamic State

Turkey said on Monday it wanted to cooperate with Moscow in combating Islamic State in Syria but denied having suggested it might allow Russia to use its Incirlik Air Base, near the Syrian frontier.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan last week expressed regret over last year's shooting down of a Russian warplane, with the loss of the pilot. Moscow, which had broken off virtually all economic ties and banned tourists from visiting Turkish resorts, pledged in return to help rebuild relations.

In an interview with Turkish state television on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had appeared to suggest Ankara could open up Incirlik to Russia, a move that could raise concern among Turkey's NATO partners already using the base, including the United States.

But Cavusoglu, in comments broadcast live on television on Monday, denied such an interpretation of his words.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-turkey-russia-idUSKCN0ZK0QH

[bemildred]

11. This fellow seems to have indirectly indicated Russia could use Incirlik Airbase too. nt

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12. Turkey vows to expand circle of peace in the region

Ankara has vowed to expand the “circle of peace” in its region by continuing its efforts to normalize relations with neighboring countries and beyond, after opening a new chapter in ties with both Israel and Russia.

“We will make it through this process of global transformation and end up much stronger. We are improving our relations with Israel and Russia … We are mending the strained relations again and overcoming crises triggered by the Syrian issue, terror and artificial tensions,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in an Eid al-Fitr message on July 4.

“We are removing the barriers in our path one by one,” he said. “While leaving behind crises in international relations and the war on terror, we are at the same time finalizing megaprojects that will carry Turkey to the future,” Erdoğan said, referring to ongoing infrastructure projects.

“At this time when the Muslim world is celebrating Eid, there are also brothers and sisters who are experiencing various troubles in different regions ranging from Afghanistan to Syria. In our country as well, unfortunately the joy of Eid has been overshadowed by terror attacks,” he added.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-vows-to-expand-circle-of-peace-in-the-region.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101221&NewsCatID=338

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13. Turkey and Bangladesh are poles apart on the terror map

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Punishing strategy

The IS is pursuing a strategy toward Turkey that aims at punishing it for being part of the US-led coalition. Although Turkey had joined the US-led anti-IS coalition in September 2014, it maintained an ambivalent posture, avoiding confrontation and tacitly (or covertly) looking away from the cross-border flow of fighters and supplies into Syria.

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But IS upset the apple cart by its horrific double suicide bombing in October 2015 when it sensed that Ankara was deepening its engagement with the US-led coalition (in response to the emergent axis between the US and Syrian Kurds, and given the specter of a contiguous Kurdish autonomous zone emerging in northern Syria with Washington’s acquiescence.)

Meanwhile, in the face of the relentless pressure from Russia (in a geopolitical strategy, partly at least, to weaken the southern flank of NATO), Turkey moved even closer to the US-led coalition, seeking protection, whereas, Washington too began mounting pressure on Ankara to close the Turkish-Syrian border and disrupt the IS’ key supply routes.

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In a nutshell, Turkey is caught in the vortex of a geopolitical struggle. Erdogan senses that the wise thing to do will be to expand the “circle of peace” in the region.

http://atimes.com/2016/07/turkey-and-bangladesh-are-poles-apart-on-the-terror-map/