Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the shooting down of a Russian warplane by Turkey along the Turkey-Syrian border was likely "a planned provocation" and said Ankara's NATO allies are trying "to cover up for what the Turkish Air Force did yesterday."
Lavrov made the comments to reporters in Moscow on November 25, one day after a Turkish fighter shot down a Russian warplane that was conducting air strikes in northern Syria. One Russian pilot was killed in the incident.
Lavrov said NATO and the European Union has made "rather strange assessments" of the incident and lamented that they did not express "any regret or condolences."
He said Moscow doubts the incident was unintentional and said Russia has gathered information about the Su-24 downing that it is ready to share with the international community.
He added that Moscow has no plans to send diplomats to Turkey or to receive high-level Turkish guests. However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he spoke by phone with Lavrov and the two had agreed to meet in the near future.
