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Kremlin: Defense Ministry will decide which experts to invite to examine downed plane

Vladimir Putin said that it is essential to conduct joint work with foreign inspectors to retrieve the data in order to jointly establish the true flight path and coordinates of the bomber
The flight data recorder from the Russian Su-24 which was downed by Turkish Air Force Mikhail Klementiev/Presidential press service/TASS
The flight data recorder from the Russian Su-24 which was downed by Turkish Air Force
© Mikhail Klementiev/Presidential press service/TASS

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry will decide what foreign specialists are to be invited to retrieve and study data from the flight recorder of Russia’s Sukhoi-24M front-line bomber shot down over Syria, Russian presidential press-secretary Dmitry Peskov has told the media on Wednesday.

"It is up to the Defense Ministry to decide. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that it is essential to conduct joint work with foreign inspectors to open the recorder and retrieve the data in order to jointly establish the true flight path and coordinates of our bomber preceding the moment of the attack. What inspectors are to be invited and who of them will accept it I’m not ready to say for the time being," Peskov said.

He refrained from answering a question from TASS whether Turkish specialists would participate in studying the plane’s flight data recorder.

"I’m not prepared to answer to this question. The presidential instructions contained no mentions on that score. The Defense Ministry is to make a decision regarding the details," Peskov said.

The relations between Moscow and Ankara worsened as an F-16 fighter jet of the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24M bomber. Ankara claimed the Su-24M bomber violated the Turkish air space in the area of the border with Syria. However, Russia’s Defence Ministry said the Su-24M plane stayed exclusively over the Syrian territory and "there was no violation of the Turkish air space."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the attack on the bomber will have "serious consequences" for the Russian-Turkish relations. According to Putin, the Turkish Air Force’s attack on the Russian combat plane that took part in the operation against terrorists in Syria and posed no threat to Turkey is a "stab in the back of Russia."

On November 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that suspends employment of Turkish workers starting from January 1, 2016. Also, Russia suspends the visa-free travel agreement with Turkey, imposes bans or restrictions on imports of certain goods (the list will be determined by the government). Besides, travel agencies are advised against selling holiday packages to Turkey. The government is instructed to tighten control over activities of Turkish haulage companies and to ban chartered flights between Russia and Turkey with the goal of ensuring security within Russia.