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Turkish F16 fighter jets forced a Syrian airline passenger plane to
land in Ankara over suspicions it was carrying "non-civilian" cargo,
says the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The Damascus-bound plane, which had
departed from Moscow, is being inspected.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara received intelligence that the Syrian plane was carrying "certain equipment in breach of civil aviation rules", but refused to comment on the presumed content.
Earlier, Turkish media speculated that the plane was diverted on suspicions that it might be transporting heavy weapons.
The plane was forced to land in Ankara’s international airport at 5:15 pm local time (3:15 pm GMT). The Airbus A-320 was carrying around 30 passengers.
The Airbus, which belongs to Syrian Air, was intercepted on its way from Moscow by F16 jets as it entered Turkish airspace. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official confirmed that a Syrian plane was forced to land at the capital's Esenboga Airport, and that authorities were "inspecting the plane'', but would not provide further information.
Turkey is determined to stop any transfer of weapons to Syrian administration through its airspace, Davutoglu said Wednesday. The FM added that Turkey has every right under the international law to investigate any civilian plane suspected to be carrying military materials.
Meanwhile, Ankara has banned Turkish passenger flights from entering Syrian airspace.
"All civilian flights in Syrian airspace have been stopped since it is no longer safe," the ministry added in their Wednesday statement. A Turkish plane that had already taken off for Saudi Arabia made a detour and landed at the Adana airport, reports Today's Zaman newspaper.
“The preliminary information is that out of 35 passengers, there may be 17 Russians on board, children among them,” Maria Zakharova, the chief of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, exclusively told RT. “This report is being checked.”
Syrian authorities have not yet commented on the reports.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria have escalated since a Syrian shell killed five civilians in the border town of Akcakale last week.
Western powers have repeatedly accused various countries of smuggling weapons into Syria and breaching an arms embargo imposed on Damascus by the EU.
On Wednesday, Iraq publicly denied allegations of providing its territory for use in transporting arms from Iran to Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Baghdad is performing random checks of aircraft from Iran to Syria and nothing has been found so far.
In March, the US and the UK lashed out at Iran, saying the country supplies weapons to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Damascus and Tehran immediately denied the allegations.
Russia has also been a suspect in the case. In June, a Russian cargo ship transporting three MI-25 helicopters, sailing from the Baltic port of Kaliningrad to Syria, was stopped some 50 miles off Scotland and forced to turn back after its insurer revoked the vessel’s coverage.
Western media were quick to speculate about arms supplies from Russia to Syria, but Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that the helicopters had been repaired by Russia for Syria under a 2008 agreement.
AP video still
AP video still
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara received intelligence that the Syrian plane was carrying "certain equipment in breach of civil aviation rules", but refused to comment on the presumed content.
Earlier, Turkish media speculated that the plane was diverted on suspicions that it might be transporting heavy weapons.
The plane was forced to land in Ankara’s international airport at 5:15 pm local time (3:15 pm GMT). The Airbus A-320 was carrying around 30 passengers.
The Airbus, which belongs to Syrian Air, was intercepted on its way from Moscow by F16 jets as it entered Turkish airspace. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official confirmed that a Syrian plane was forced to land at the capital's Esenboga Airport, and that authorities were "inspecting the plane'', but would not provide further information.
Turkey is determined to stop any transfer of weapons to Syrian administration through its airspace, Davutoglu said Wednesday. The FM added that Turkey has every right under the international law to investigate any civilian plane suspected to be carrying military materials.
Meanwhile, Ankara has banned Turkish passenger flights from entering Syrian airspace.
"All civilian flights in Syrian airspace have been stopped since it is no longer safe," the ministry added in their Wednesday statement. A Turkish plane that had already taken off for Saudi Arabia made a detour and landed at the Adana airport, reports Today's Zaman newspaper.
17 Russians, including kids, reportedly onboard – Russian Foreign Ministry to RT
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said diplomats are already heading to the airport and sent an information request to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.“The preliminary information is that out of 35 passengers, there may be 17 Russians on board, children among them,” Maria Zakharova, the chief of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, exclusively told RT. “This report is being checked.”
Syrian authorities have not yet commented on the reports.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria have escalated since a Syrian shell killed five civilians in the border town of Akcakale last week.
Western powers have repeatedly accused various countries of smuggling weapons into Syria and breaching an arms embargo imposed on Damascus by the EU.
On Wednesday, Iraq publicly denied allegations of providing its territory for use in transporting arms from Iran to Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Baghdad is performing random checks of aircraft from Iran to Syria and nothing has been found so far.
In March, the US and the UK lashed out at Iran, saying the country supplies weapons to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Damascus and Tehran immediately denied the allegations.
Russia has also been a suspect in the case. In June, a Russian cargo ship transporting three MI-25 helicopters, sailing from the Baltic port of Kaliningrad to Syria, was stopped some 50 miles off Scotland and forced to turn back after its insurer revoked the vessel’s coverage.
Western media were quick to speculate about arms supplies from Russia to Syria, but Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that the helicopters had been repaired by Russia for Syria under a 2008 agreement.
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