Roundup: Tension high between Russia, NATO member Turkey over Syria

Violations of Turkish airspace by Russian fighter planes deployed in Syria have raised alarm bells in Turkey, prompting NATO to issue warning against Russia.

On Tuesday, the Turkish military issued a statement saying that a squadron of F-16 jets on patrol duty on Monday were radar locked by a Russia-made MIG-29 over Turkish-Syrian border. The F-16s were also targeted by surface to air missile batteries stationed in Syria.

The incident followed Russia's violations for twice of Turkish airspace over the weekend.

A Su-30 bomber crossed the Syrian-Turkish border for a few seconds on Saturday, prompting Turkish F-16 to scramble for interception. Russia said the incursion was a mistake due to unfavorable weather conditions, adding that other alleged violations are under investigation.

However, NATO said the Russian violation appeared to be deliberate.

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the airspace violation unacceptable. "It doesn't look like an accident, and we've seen two of them over the weekend," said Stoltenberg.

NATO defense ministers will be meeting in Brussels on Thursday to talk about NATO measures to respond Russian actions in a member country.

"Both Russia and Turkey should be cautious in their moves and work to diffuse the tension," Serkan Demirtas, a Turkish analyst, remarked.

Stressing that Syria has turned into a dangerous battlefield between the U.S.-led coalition and the Russian camp, he said, "any unwanted, unintentional development could lead to serious consequences that will surely have enormous effects on Turkey as well."

Turkey, having some 900 km border with Syria, frequently scrambles jets to intercept air space violations.

On February 2014, a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down a Syrian MIG-23 that violated Turkey's air space in line with what Ankara said new rules of engagement.

After a Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet was shot down by Syrian air defense in 2012, Turkey announced that the rules of engagement for the Turkish military were changed so that any Syrian military element approaching the border would be considered a threat.

In September 2013, Turkish warplanes shot down a Syrian helicopter after it crossed into the Turkish airspace.

Some analysts believe the fallout from recent tension will take its toll on Turkey-Russian bilateral ties.

Yasar Yakis, former Turkish foreign minister, believed that the Russian military presence and attacks on opposition groups supported by Ankara will have a profound impact on Turkey.

"Turkey and Russia decided to compartmentalize their relations and not let the problem in one area negatively affect cooperation in the other," he noted. "However, due to this conflict of interest, political fallout and strained bilateral relations appear unavoidable."

Turkey has strong trade ties with Russia and is heavily dependent on Moscow for its natural gas supplies. "The spillover from a serious military confrontation between Russia and Turkey was exposed immediately, almost within hours," local Hurriyet Daily News reporter Gunes Komurculer said.

She was referring to the Russian gas company Gazprom's announcement that it would halve the capacity of the planned Turkish Stream pipeline which will carry gas from Russia to Europe through Turkey and Greece.

TOUGH TALK FROM TURKEY LEADERS

During his official visit to Belgium, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday that Turkey would not remain patient for these violations. He said Russia would lose a lot if it destroyed its friendship with Turkey.

Erdogan's remarks followed statements of Turkey's acting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who warned on Monday that rules of engagement apply to all planes, whether they're from Syria or Russia, hinting that foreign fighter jets could be shot down.

Raising a shoot-down scenario, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday in Chile that "It's precisely the kind of thing that, had Turkey responded under its rights, could have resulted in a shoot-down."

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said on Tuesday that Moscow would welcome a Turkish delegation to discuss avoiding any misunderstandings in Syria.

The Russian ambassador in Ankara was summoned on Monday to deliver Turkey's protest note to Russia.

Russia's military involvement in Syria spells bad news for Turkey's long advocated idea of setting up safe zone inside Syria to handle refugees and provide security for the opposition.

"Now that Russia is heavily involved in the Syrian conflict on the part of the Assad regime, the Turkey-backed no-fly zone in Syria has become a dream, as has Ankara's goal of unseating Assad," Lale Kemal, an Ankara-based security analyst, said.

On the positive side, she underlined that Russian moves in Syria, however, may help grow Turkey's importance for NATO on the southern flank, or, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Endit