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Turkish foreign minister: data on Russia’s alleged airspace violation referred to Moscow

He said he wanted "relations between Turkey and Russia to normalize," but it could not been achieved by unilateral steps

ANKARA, January 31. /TASS/. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday all information about the alleged violation of Turkey’s airspace by a Russian fighter jet has been referred to Russia.

The Dogan news agency quoted him as saying at a news conference in Riyadh that data on the incident had been referred to Russia through military channel. He said the fact of the airspace violation had been proved and called on Russia to be responsible enough to tell the truth.

He said he wanted "relations between Turkey and Russia to normalize," but it could not been achieved by unilateral steps. So, he said, Russia should act with a similar understanding.

Commenting on the situation over the alleged violation, the Turkish foreign minister, who is on a visit to Riyadh, said it was impossible to hush up this fact.

On January 30, Turkey’s foreign ministry claimed a Russian warplane had allegedly violated the Turkish border on January 29. "Yesterday a Russian Aerospace Forces’ Su-34 violated Turkish airspace. Before the violation, Turkish radar stations repeatedly warned the Russian aircraft in Russian and in English," the statement said. According to the Turkish foreign ministry, the Russian ambassador had been summoned on the same day to be presented with a protest over the incident.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday denied the claims by Turkey. "There have been no violations of Turkey’s airspace by aircraft of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic," the ministry said.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov has dismissed Turkey’s claims as "unsubstantiated propaganda.".

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