And there you have the U.S. so-called strategy in a nut-shell. First by supporting parties against Assad, we are escalating a civil war in Syria. In the second place, what moderate groups in Syria? We know the answer to that. None, at least not that are effective and actually not ISIS fronts.
NATO held an emergency meeting in Brussels of ambassadors from its 28 member states to respond to what Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called “unacceptable violations of Turkish airspace†after a Russian jet crossed its frontier with Syria on Saturday.
A Russian warplane again violated Turkish airspace on Sunday, a Turkish foreign ministry official said late on Monday, prompting Ankara to summon Moscow’s ambassador.
It had done the same following Saturday’s violation, and said Russia would be held “responsible for any undesired incident that may occur†if it were repeated.
NATO members “strongly protest†and “condemn†incursions into Turkish and NATO territory, the alliance said after the first incursion was reported.
“Allies also note the extreme danger of such irresponsible behaviour. They call on the Russian Federation to cease and desist, and immediately explain these violations,†NATO said in a statement after the meeting.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he had been told by Russia that the violation was a “mistake†that would not happen again.
“Turkey’s rules of engagement apply to all planes, be they Syrian, Russian or from elsewhere … Necessary steps would be taken against whoever violates Turkey’s borders, even if it’s a bird,†he said on HaberTurk TV.
The potential confrontation comes at a time when relations between Russia and the West are at their worst since the Cold War, with the United States and European Union having imposed financial sanctions on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine.
Over the past year, NATO has repeatedly accused Moscow of sending planes to violate the airspace of the alliance’s member countries in Europe.