Russia and Turkey refuse to back down in row over jet downing

Russia sent an
advanced missile system to Syria on Wednesday to protect its
jets operating there and pledged its air force would keep
flying missions near Turkish air space, sounding a defiant
note after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet.
Underscoring the message, Russian forces launched a heavy
bombardment against insurgent-held areas in Latakia on
Wednesday, near where the jet was downed, rebels and a
monitoring group said.
The United States and Europe both urged calm and continued
dialogue in telephone conversations with Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov, a sign of international concern at the
prospect of any escalation between the former Cold War
enemies.
The downing of the jet on Tuesday was one of the most
serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO
member and Russia for half a century, and further complicated
international efforts to battle Islamic State militants in Syria.
President Tayyip Erdogan made no apology, saying his nation
had simply been defending its own security and the "rights of
our brothers in Syria". He made clear Turkish policy would
not change.
Russian officials expressed fury over Turkey's action and
spoke of retaliatory measures that were likely to include
curbing travel by Russian tourists to Turkish resorts and
some restrictions on trade.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described it as a
planned act and said it would affect efforts towards a political
solution in Syria. Moscow would "seriously reconsider" its
relations with Ankara, he said.
Jets believed to be Russian also hit a depot for trucks waiting
to go through a major rebel-controlled border crossing with
Turkey, Bab al-Salam, the head of the crossing said.
Syrian jets have struck the area before, but if confirmed to
have been carried out by Russia, it would be one of Moscow's
closest air strikes to Turkish soil, targeting a humanitarian
corridor into rebel-held Syria and a lifeline for ordinary
Syrians crossing to Turkey.
DO NOT WANT WAR
But the Russian response was carefully calibrated, indicating
Moscow did not want to jeopardize its main objective in the
region: to rally international support for its view on how the
conflict in Syria should be resolved.
"We have no intention of fighting a war with Turkey," Lavrov
said. Erdogan also said Ankara had no intention of escalating
tensions with Russia.
In Paris, where deadly attacks on Nov. 13 claimed by Islamic
State prompted France to step up its aerial bombing of the
militant group in Syria, President Francois Hollande expressed
concern over the war of words between Ankara and Moscow.
"We must all work to make sure that the situation (between
Russia and Turkey) de-escalates," Hollande told a joint news
conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Hollande was due to discuss Syria and the fight against
Islamic State with Russian President Vladimir Putin in
Moscow on Thursday.
Putin said an advanced weapons system would be
despatched to Russia's Khmeimim air base in Syria's Latakia
province.
"I hope that this, along with other measures that we are
taking, will be enough to ensure (the safety) of our flights,"
Putin told reporters, in an apparent warning to Turkey not to
try to shoot down any more Russian planes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was forced to
fly missions close to the Turkish border because that was
where the militants tended to be located. Russian operations
would continue, he said.
MUTUAL RECRIMINATION
Turkey said the downed jet had encroached on Turkish air
space and was warned repeatedly to change course, but
Russian officials have said the plane was at no time over
Turkey.
The crew ejected, and one pilot was shot dead by rebels as
he parachuted to the ground. A Russian marine sent to
recover the crew was also killed in an attack by rebels.
The surviving pilot was quoted by Russian agencies as saying
the crew "knew the region like the back of their hand", that
they did not fly over Turkish air space, and that there were no
visual or radio warnings from Turkey.
The Turkish military later released what it said was an audio
recording of a warning to a Russian fighter jet before it was
shot down near the Syrian border. A voice on the recording
can be heard saying "change your heading" in English.
The Turkish military said it had explained the rules of
engagement that led to the downing of the jet to Russian
military attaches and had tried to rescue the pilots.
At a business event in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey had
made a "huge effort" to prevent such incidents but that the
limits of its patience had been tested after repeatedly warning
Russia about air space incursions in recent weeks.
"Nobody should expect us to remain silent against the
constant violation of our border security, the ignoring of our
sovereign rights," Erdogan said.
Turkey has been angered by Russian air strikes in Syria,
particularly those near its border targeting Turkmens, who
are Syrians of Turkish descent.
TRADE TIES
Russia made clear it could target Turkey economically.
"The direct consequences could lead to our refusal to take
part in a whole raft of important joint projects and Turkish
companies losing their positions on the Russian market,"
Medvedev said in a statement.
Russia is a major exporter of grain and energy to Turkey, and
sends over four million tourists each year to Turkish resorts,
second only to the number of German tourists.
The Russian government has already said it will discourage
Russian tourists from traveling to Turkey, though the
immediate impact will be limited because Turkey is now in the
off-season.
But while Russia may mothball deals with Turkish firms and
curb imports of Turkish goods, it is unlikely to let the fallout
affect energy exports that are the core of their economic
relationship.
"Erdogan is a tough character, and quite emotional, and if
Russia pushes too far in terms of retaliatory action, I think
there will inevitably be a counter reaction from Turkey (like)
tit-for-tat trade sanctions, perhaps extending to things like the
Russia nuclear deal," said Nomura strategist Timothy Ash.
"But I think there is also a clear understanding that any such
action is damaging for both sides, and unwelcome. The ball is
in Russia's court now," he wrote in a note.