Obama Calls on Turkey, Russia to Focus on ’ISIS’

Local Editor

US President Barack Obama called on Russia and Turkey to move beyond a furious row over the downing of a fighter jet and focus on "ISIS", after meeting his Turkish counterpart in Paris on Tuesday.

Relations between Moscow and Ankara plummeted in the past week after Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet along the Syrian border in which Russia announced economic sanctions and advised its citizens not to visit Turkey.

Obama said that "We all have a common enemy that is "ISIS" and I want to make sure we focus on that threat."

Earlier on Monday, Obama met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the climate summit in Paris.

For his part, Putin accused Ankara of seeking to protect "ISIS" oil exports, an important source of funds for the militant group.

"We have every reason to think that the decision to shoot down our plane was dictated by the desire to protect the oil supply lines to Turkish territory, right to the ports where it is loaded onto tankers," Putin said during a news conference on the fringes of the climate talks in Paris.

One of the Russian pilots aboard the downed plane was shot dead in Syria after parachuting from the burning aircraft, while the second was found safe and sound. One Russian soldier was killed in a rescue operation.

Hours earlier, Turkey had sent back to Russia the body of the pilot killed in the jet incident since November 24.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team