Hungary Could Contribute to De-escalation of Turkish-Russian Tensions

Budapest could use its ties with Moscow and Ankara to improve Russia-Turkey relations, the vice chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) Daria Chernyshova – The relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated after the Turkish Air Force downed a Russian Su-24 aircraft for alleged violation of Turkish airspace.

"Hungary has excellent relations with both Russia and Turkey. And Hungary has an opportunity to somehow open up the dialogue with regard to this accident… This conflict can be eliminated by the Hungarian government, I think there is an opportunity there," Marton Gyongyosi said.

He added that settling the conflict was in the interest of the international community, because it helped to concentrate on the fight against terrorists in the Middle East.

On November 24, the Russian Su-24 jet crashed in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet over Syrian territory, falling 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Turkish border. Putin described the Turkish attack as a "stab in the back" carried out by "accomplices of terrorists."

Ankara claimed that it downed the Russian airplane because it had violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 had never crossed into Turkish airspace and was shot down on Syrian territory.

Moreover, Marton Gyongyosi pointed out that activities of both moderate opposition and extremist groups in Syria directed against the legitimate government of President Bashar Assad work in favor of terrorism.

"I very much hope that sooner than later the United States and other Western European countries also recognize that there is no way to differentiate between the moderate and extremist groups in Syria. There is the central government of Bashar Al Assad and everybody else who is trying to destabilize Syria is playing into the hands of the terrorists," Marton Gyongyosi said.

He added that all the countries should unite against terrorists, including against the Islamic State militant group.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The government forces are fighting a number of opposition groups and militant organizations, including Nusra Front and the ISIL, occupying vast territories of the country.

Since the escalation of the conflict, Western states have provided military aid to opposition factions which they consider to be "moderate," and have called for Assad to resign.