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Turkey says Russia violates airspace again

Xinhua, October 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Turkey said on Tuesday that Russian aircraft violated Turkish airspace again on Sunday, one day after the first breach that prompted protest from Ankara.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador in Ankara again on Monday to protest the breaches, warning of "unwanted results" from similar violations, a Foreign Ministry official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Turkey, a NATO member, scrambled two F-16 jets on Saturday after a Russian SU-30 crossed into its airspace over its southern province of Hatay, and summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara to lodge a protest.

In another incident on Sunday, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets were harassed by an unidentified MiG-29 for five minutes on the border with Syria, the Turkish General Staff said on Monday.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday blamed bad weather conditions for the brief violation of Turkish airspace.

"The incident was a consequence of unfavorable weather conditions in the area," the ministry said in an online press release. "One should not look for any conspiracy theories here."

NATO protested the incident.

"Allies strongly protest these violations of Turkish sovereign airspace, and condemn these incursions into and violations of NATO airspace," it said in a statement on Monday. Endit