Turkish FM calls on Russia for calm, says patience is not endless

Turkey is calling on Russia for calm, but its patience is not endless, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

Russia is under "sentiment" over the downing of its warplane, and has been making accusations against Turkey, Cavusoglu said in a televised interview.

Russia wanted to "utilize all opportunities" against Turkey, but Ankara's "patience is not endless," he noted.

"Russia should reexamine its decisions for economic sanctions. They should not sow discord among people," Cavusoglu added.

Citing to his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Yugoslavia's capital Belgrade last week, Cavusoglu said Russia also expressed its willingness not to escalate tension with Turkey.

"We asked to keep dialogue channels with Russia and Lavrov did not object this," he said.

Relations between Moscow and Ankara worsened dramatically after Turkey shot down a Russian bomber near the Turkish-Syrian border late November for alleged violation of its air space.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the downing a "stab in the back," and warned of "very serious consequences" for the two countries' relations.

Russia has then imposed a series of economic sanctions on Turkey and has been locked in a war of words with Turkish authorities. Endit