Turkey's president expresses regret for downing of Russian fighter jet
Turkey’s president has expressed regret about the downing of a Russian military jet by his armed forces.
Addressing supporters, Recep Tayyip Erdogan again defended the move and criticised Russia for its action in Syria.
But he added: “We wish it hadn’t happened, but it happened. I hope something like this doesn’t happen again.”
He said both sides should approach the issue in a more positive way, and voiced hope that a meeting in Paris will be an opportunity to overcome tensions.
Earlier, Turkey issued a travel warning urging its citizens to delay non-urgent and unnecessary travel to Russia.
The country’s foreign ministry said it is issuing the warning because Turkish travellers are facing “problems” in Russia.
It said Turks should delay travel plans until “the situation becomes clear”.
Turkey’s downing of the Russian military jet, the first time in half a century that a Nato member shot down a Russian plane, has drawn a harsh response from Moscow.
Russia has since restricted tourist travel, left Turkish trucks stranded at the border, confiscated large quantities of Turkish food imports and started preparing a raft of broader economic sanctions.
