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TURKEY SEARCHES ARMENIAN AID PLANE BOUND FOR SYRIA
France 24
Nov 8 2012
AFP - An Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid for Syria was made
to land in Turkey on Thursday for what officials said was a "routine"
search of its cargo.
The plane, which was carrying 15 tonnes of food, was ordered to land
in the Erzurum airport in eastern Turkey where teams of police and
troops with sniffer dogs conducted a search of the cargo.
The plane was allowed to take off for Syria after nothing suspect
was found aboard, NTV television reported.
The Armenian foreign ministry said the landing was planned.
"It was a planned landing. The plane is carrying humanitarian cargo
for Syrian Armenians in Aleppo," Armenian foreign ministry spokesman
Tigran Balaian told AFP in Yerevan.
Diplomatic sources quoted by the Anatolia news agency said the crew
had handed Turkey a list of the cargo ahead of the flight.
Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said the landing "a routine
practice in compliance with civil aviation rules being applied for
the security of Syrian people" according to the Anatolia news agency.
It was the second time in a month that the Turkish authorities have
ordered an Armenian plane heading for Syria to land for security
checks.
On October 15, another Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid to
Syria's battered second city of Aleppo was forced to land at Erzurum
airport but the plane was allowed to resume journey after officials
said no suspect cargo turned up during searches.
Last month, Turkish jets forced a Syrian plane flying from Russia to
land at Ankara airport because of what it called suspect cargo.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the cargo contained
military equipment for the Syrian defence ministry, but Russia said it
was dual-purpose radar equipment which was not banned by international
conventions.
Former allies Turkey and Syria have seen their relations deteriorate
as fighting between regime troops and rebels has intensified in Syria
and the two countries have closed their airspaces to each other.
Syria has a small Armenian community of between 60,000 and 100,000
people, according to estimates, most of whom live in Aleppo.
Armenia also has close ties with Syria's major ally Russia while its
relations with Turkey have long been strained.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade.
Turkey-Syria relations plunged further after shells fired from Syria
killed five Turkish civilians inside a Turkish village on October 3.
http://www.france24.com/en/20121108-turkey-searches-armenian-aid-plane-bound-syria
France 24
Nov 8 2012
AFP - An Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid for Syria was made
to land in Turkey on Thursday for what officials said was a "routine"
search of its cargo.
The plane, which was carrying 15 tonnes of food, was ordered to land
in the Erzurum airport in eastern Turkey where teams of police and
troops with sniffer dogs conducted a search of the cargo.
The plane was allowed to take off for Syria after nothing suspect
was found aboard, NTV television reported.
The Armenian foreign ministry said the landing was planned.
"It was a planned landing. The plane is carrying humanitarian cargo
for Syrian Armenians in Aleppo," Armenian foreign ministry spokesman
Tigran Balaian told AFP in Yerevan.
Diplomatic sources quoted by the Anatolia news agency said the crew
had handed Turkey a list of the cargo ahead of the flight.
Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said the landing "a routine
practice in compliance with civil aviation rules being applied for
the security of Syrian people" according to the Anatolia news agency.
It was the second time in a month that the Turkish authorities have
ordered an Armenian plane heading for Syria to land for security
checks.
On October 15, another Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid to
Syria's battered second city of Aleppo was forced to land at Erzurum
airport but the plane was allowed to resume journey after officials
said no suspect cargo turned up during searches.
Last month, Turkish jets forced a Syrian plane flying from Russia to
land at Ankara airport because of what it called suspect cargo.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the cargo contained
military equipment for the Syrian defence ministry, but Russia said it
was dual-purpose radar equipment which was not banned by international
conventions.
Former allies Turkey and Syria have seen their relations deteriorate
as fighting between regime troops and rebels has intensified in Syria
and the two countries have closed their airspaces to each other.
Syria has a small Armenian community of between 60,000 and 100,000
people, according to estimates, most of whom live in Aleppo.
Armenia also has close ties with Syria's major ally Russia while its
relations with Turkey have long been strained.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade.
Turkey-Syria relations plunged further after shells fired from Syria
killed five Turkish civilians inside a Turkish village on October 3.
http://www.france24.com/en/20121108-turkey-searches-armenian-aid-plane-bound-syria