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MULTIMEDIA
June 26, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 

Turkey discusses jet crisis, focusing on diplomacy track for now

25 June 2012 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, ANKARA
While the shooting down of a Turkish jet by Syria has further strained relations between the two neighbors, Turkey continues to engage in a diplomatic path, taking the issue to international platforms, including NATO and the UN.

The Cabinet convened on Monday afternoon for a critical meeting to discuss what measures Turkey should take in the wake of the downing of a Turkish jet in international airspace by Syria on Friday.

Unlike other Cabinet meetings, Air Forces Command Operations Unit head Maj. Gen. Ateş Mehmet İrez also attended the meeting. The meeting was intended to brief ministers on Friday’s incident.

The Cabinet is expected to discuss what measures Turkey will take in response and Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bülent Arınç is expected to call a press conference following the meeting.

EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış said on Monday that the downing of the plane by Syria was a matter of international diplomacy, adding that the attack was not solely a conflict between Turkey and Syria.

Bağış said the foreign minister was extending intense efforts on the matter and that all relevant institutions were acting on the issue, adding that this issue had aspects that would concern several platforms, including the EU, NATO and the UN.

Bağış declared that Turkey was a great state which knows what to do in every situation, adding that Turkey has not yet said its final word on the issue.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek said on Monday that he would support any decision taken by the government regarding the downing of the Turkish jet. “This is a deliberate incident. We will back any decision taken by the Turkish government,” said Çiçek.

When asked the possibility of a war with Syria, Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan said on Monday that he had no concerns about the issue, adding that he had not heard any news about a war with Syria. “Explanations are very clear about this issue. The prime minister and the other ministers are following all aspects of the issue closely,” said Çağlayan, adding that the issue was being followed with common sense.

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu last Sunday dismissed Syria’s earlier statement that it had not known the plane belonged to Turkey, adding that the downed jet was unarmed and had been on a solo mission to test domestic radar systems and had no connection to the crisis in neighboring Syria.

Davutoğlu said he would formally report the incident to the NATO military alliance on Tuesday under Article 4 of its founding treaty, as well as to the UN Security Council.

Davutoğlu added that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would make a statement at his ruling party’s meeting in Parliament on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Erdoğan met with opposition leaders last Sunday to discuss what measures to take after the incident.

Erdoğan, accompanied by Davutoğlu and Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, first met with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Erdoğan had meetings with other opposition parties, including Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) leader Selahattin Demirtaş, later on Sunday at the Prime Minister’s Office.

 
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© Feza Gazetecilik A.Ş. 2007, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Cad. No: 6, Bahçelievler - İstanbul 34194 Turkey, +90 (212) 454 1454, +90 (212) 454 1497(fax)