Downing of Russian Jet to Cost Turkey Dearly: Ex-Syrian Envoy
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – Syria’s former ambassador to Ankara described a recent move by Turkey to shoot down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet as a “great folly”, saying that the attack will cost Turkey dearly.
“The downing of the Russian warplane, whatever the purpose behind it, is foolishness and will have serious repercussions for Turkey,” Nidal Kabalan said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.
“In my opinion, what Turkey did was a great folly because the move is tantamount to playing with fire and is not in the interests of Turkey militarily, economically or politically,” the former diplomat said.
He further emphasized that Moscow will not overlook the act of aggression and will give a crushing response to Ankara.
Kabalan also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s pledge to react to Turkey’s move is not an empty threat, adding that Moscow’s response to Ankara will be in the form of attacks against Turkish positions in Syria.
Putin said Wednesday that after the downing of the fighter jet over Syria, Moscow cannot rule out the possibility of other incidents.
"After what happened yesterday, we cannot rule out the possibility of other incidents. If it happens we will have to react to it somehow. Our citizens in Turkey may face danger, which is something the Foreign Ministry should address," Putin said.
Russia will treat the Su-24 incident very seriously and will use all options available to enforce security, Putin stated.
On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 jet crashed in Syria. Putin said that the plane was downed by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet over Syrian territory, and fell 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Turkish border.
