The US and Turkey have threatened to shoot down Russian warplanes if they stray into Turkish airspace, following two accidental, momentary violations of the Syria-Turkey border by Russian military aircraft.
"We are greatly concerned about it because it is precisely the kind of thing that, had Turkey responded… it could have resulted in a shootdown, and it is precisely the kind of thing we warned against," Reuters quoted the Secretary of State saying during a visit to Chile.
The politician added that he had since intensified diplomatic discussions to ensure that there would be no accidental conflict between Russian and coalition aircraft over Syria.
Igor Konashenkov, a Russian defense official, told press on Monday that Saturday's incident involved a Sukhoi-30 fighter which crossed the Syrian-Turkish border "for a few seconds" due to "unfavorable weather conditions".
He urged against searching for any “conspiracy causes” in the incident.
NATO also commented on the issue, warning of “the extreme danger of such irresponsible behavior”.
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