Moscow: Syria Talks Unaffected by Turkey's Claims of Airspace Violation

Turkey's statements about an alleged violation of its airspace by a Russian aircraft will not affect the international talks on Syria set to take place in Munich, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The alleged incident involving a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber took place on Friday, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, which also said the plane was warned by Turkish air radar units.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied the claim and said no such violation had actually happened. Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov dismissed Ankara's statement as "naked propaganda."

"I don't think so," Gatilov told RIA Novosti, answering a question on whether the Turkish claims would affect the international talks on Syria.

The foreign ministers of the Friends of Syria group, comprising Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Iran and Iraq, are set to evaluate the progress being made in the ongoing Geneva talks between the Syrian government and opposition, on February 11 in Munich.

On November 24, a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board over Syria. Ankara claimed it had downed the Russian warplane as it had allegedly violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command have confirmed that the Russian jet never crossed into Turkish airspace.

In response to Ankara's "stab in the back," as the incident has been described by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow imposed a number of economic measures on Turkey.