NATO Adds Fuel to Tensions With Russia by Supporting Turkey

The escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia have been further amplified by the continued support shown to Turkey by NATO.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia have been further amplified by the continued support shown to Turkey by its NATO allies, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) International Relations Section head Elisseos Vagenas told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"It bears out the assessment of the KKE that the cover provided by NATO to Turkey in relation to the downing of the Russian warplane adds fuel to the fire. This is also apparent as regards the incident in the Aegean Sea," Vagenas said.

On Sunday, the crew of the Russian Smetlivy frigate managed to avoid a collision with a Turkish seiner in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Following the incident, the military attache to the Turkish Embassy in Moscow was urgently summoned to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The incident follows a deterioration in relations between Turkey and Russia after a Turkish jet brought down a Russian Su-24 aircraft over Syria in November. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command have denied Turkish claims that its airspace was violated by the Russian jet.