Turkey, Russia FMs Meet for First Talks after Warplane Crisis

Local Editor

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Russia met in Belgrade on Thursday in the first high-level bilateral talks since the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish jets sparked an unprecedented crisis.

The meeting between Russia's Sergei Lavrov and Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu was held on the sidelines of the ministerial council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Cavusoglu expressed Ankara's condolences over the death of the Russian pilot.

"We expressed our sadness and expressed our condolences for the Russian pilot who lost his life," Turkish media quoted Cavusoglu as saying after meeting Lavrov.

Cavusoglu praised the mood of the talks but gave no indication of a breakthrough on ending the crisis. "It's important to keep the channels of dialogue open," he said.

"On both sides there is a desire not to escalate the tensions. I am sure that common sense will win over emotion" he continued.

But he added: "It would not be realistic to say that the problems have been overcome in a first meeting."

Russia had in the last days also accused Ankara of importing oil from "ISIS" militants in Syria, allegations that Turkey denies.

"We gave our response to the claims that have been raised," Cavusoglu said after the talks. "Our hope is that they will give up their baseless claims."

In comments broadcast on Russian television, Lavrov also confirmed that there had been no break-through.

"We met with Mr. Cavusoglu... We did not hear anything new. The Turkish minister confirmed the positions which they have already voiced. We confirmed our views," Lavrov said.

Two Turkish F-16 jets shot down a Russian plane on November 24 which Ankara alleged violated its airspace. Russia insists that the plane did not cross from Syria and accused Turkey of a deliberate provocation.

The plane incident plunged the two countries' relationship into a crisis, with Russia demanding an official apology from the Turkish leadership.

Lavrov canceled a scheduled meeting to Istanbul on November 25 and urged Russian citizens to avoid any travel to Turkey, a top tourist destination for many Russian tourists.

Accordingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin snubbed an offer from Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the climate summit in Paris early this week.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team