The downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish fighter jets on Tuesday underscores the dangers of too many powerful countries with different agendas entering a single conflict. The incident added a new, dangerous dimension to the Syrian conflict and also has opened a new front between Russia and Turkey.
Turkey maintained that the plane was shot down for violating its airspace and after several warnings were issued to the plane, but Russia chose to reject the argument. A war of words between the two sides has added to the tension and the US, Europe and Nato have appealed for restraint. Ankara called for an emergency meeting of Nato. After the meeting, the organisation’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg called for “calm and de-escalation” and said the allies “stand in solidarity with the Turkey.” It is the first time a Nato country has shot down a Russian plane in half a century, and this means any escalation will make this a Nato-Russia conflict more than a Moscow-Ankara brawl. Turkey-Russia tension is likely to continue over the incident, though President Tayyip Erdogan has said he does not want any escalation. But Moscow is not in a mood to let go, and expressing its resolve in this regard, sent an advanced missile system to Syria yesterday to protect its jets operating there and pledged its air force would keep flying missions near Turkish air space. Russian forces also launched a heavy bombardment against insurgent-held areas near where the jet was downed.
Though Russia feels provoked and might takes measures that will cause concern, Nato is likely to exercise restraint to avoid a confrontation. But the more dangerous fallout of the incident is that it has soured the chances for a diplomatic breakthrough over Syria, especially at a time when global powers had become convinced about the urgency of such a breakthrough and had even started negotiations towards that goal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the jet downing as a planned act and said it would affect efforts towards a political solution in Syria. Moscow would “seriously reconsider” its relations with Ankara, he said.
Russia and Turkey are at loggerheads over Syria. Like the Gulf countries, Ankara wants President Bashar Al Assad gone and has even allowed its border with Syria to be an easy crossing point for Syrian rebels. Russia has been fiercely defending Assad and its operations in Syria are aimed at strengthening Assad and recapture territory from both rebels and the Islamic State. The plane incident now threatens to undercut efforts by Nato to convince Vladimir Putin to drop his support for Assad. Putin will harden his stance and further bolster support for Assad in an act of retaliation against Turkey.
The downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish fighter jets on Tuesday underscores the dangers of too many powerful countries with different agendas entering a single conflict. The incident added a new, dangerous dimension to the Syrian conflict and also has opened a new front between Russia and Turkey.
Turkey maintained that the plane was shot down for violating its airspace and after several warnings were issued to the plane, but Russia chose to reject the argument. A war of words between the two sides has added to the tension and the US, Europe and Nato have appealed for restraint. Ankara called for an emergency meeting of Nato. After the meeting, the organisation’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg called for “calm and de-escalation” and said the allies “stand in solidarity with the Turkey.” It is the first time a Nato country has shot down a Russian plane in half a century, and this means any escalation will make this a Nato-Russia conflict more than a Moscow-Ankara brawl. Turkey-Russia tension is likely to continue over the incident, though President Tayyip Erdogan has said he does not want any escalation. But Moscow is not in a mood to let go, and expressing its resolve in this regard, sent an advanced missile system to Syria yesterday to protect its jets operating there and pledged its air force would keep flying missions near Turkish air space. Russian forces also launched a heavy bombardment against insurgent-held areas near where the jet was downed.
Though Russia feels provoked and might takes measures that will cause concern, Nato is likely to exercise restraint to avoid a confrontation. But the more dangerous fallout of the incident is that it has soured the chances for a diplomatic breakthrough over Syria, especially at a time when global powers had become convinced about the urgency of such a breakthrough and had even started negotiations towards that goal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the jet downing as a planned act and said it would affect efforts towards a political solution in Syria. Moscow would “seriously reconsider” its relations with Ankara, he said.
Russia and Turkey are at loggerheads over Syria. Like the Gulf countries, Ankara wants President Bashar Al Assad gone and has even allowed its border with Syria to be an easy crossing point for Syrian rebels. Russia has been fiercely defending Assad and its operations in Syria are aimed at strengthening Assad and recapture territory from both rebels and the Islamic State. The plane incident now threatens to undercut efforts by Nato to convince Vladimir Putin to drop his support for Assad. Putin will harden his stance and further bolster support for Assad in an act of retaliation against Turkey.
