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1st LD: UN chief "seriously concerned" about downing of Russian warplane at Turkish-Syrian border

Xinhua, November 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said that he is "seriously concerned" about the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey near the Syrian border earlier in the day, voicing his hope that "a credible and thorough review of the incident will clarify the events and help prevent any recurrence."

"The secretary-general is seriously concerned over the incident resulting in the downing of a Russian military plane by the Turkish air force earlier today," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. "He urges all relevant parties to take urgent measures with a view to de-escalate tensions."

A Russian warplane was shut down on the Syrian side of the Turkish border on Tuesday, Turkey's private NTV news channel quoted Turkish military sources as saying. Turkey said it has issued several warnings and accused the warplane of violating its airspace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the Russian Su-24 warplane, which was attacked 1 km away from the Syrian border with Turkey and crashed 4 km away, had not violated Turkey's airspace.

The Russian defense ministry has confirmed that one of its Su-24 plane crashed in Syria and the fate of the pilots was unclear yet, according to Russian media. Enditem