26 November 2015•Update: 27 November 2015
ANKARA
A Supreme Military Council meeting in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday discussed the recent incidents on the Syrian border and decided that both military and diplomatic channels with Russia would remain open, Turkish General Staff said in a statement.
"It was agreed that taking measures to prevent any possible undesirable incident between the armed forces of the two countries would be convenient," the statement said.
On Tuesday, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on an aerial patrol intercepted an unidentified aircraft within engagement rules when it intruded into Turkish airspace close to the Syrian border. The intruding aircraft was warned about the violation 10 times within five minutes before it was shot down.
This incident was discussed at Thursday's meeting, led by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Russian bomber jet crashed in the Syrian region of Bayirbucak close to Yayladagi district of Turkey's southern Hatay province.
NATO confirmed the accuracy of the radar trace data Turkey shared which clearly showed the Russian violation.
It was not the first time Russian fighter jets had violated Turkish airspace. In early October, Russian warplanes breached Turkish airspace. Russian officials apologized and pledged that no such incident would be repeated. Turkey had also renewed its warning on engagement rules, including a military response against violations of Turkish airspace.
