Tweet
Wall Street Journal
Oct 15 2012
Turkey Releases Armenian Jet's Cargo After Probe
By EMRE PEKER
ISTANBUL - An Armenian cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid to Syria
landed on Monday in Turkey to let authorities investigate its cargo
before continuing its flight; part of Ankara's tougher stance toward
Damascus as it seeks to choke support for embattled President Bashar
al-Assad.
The Armenian plane's arrival in the eastern province of Erzurum
triggered a flurry of news reports that Ankara had forced down a
second plane destined to its southern neighbor following the first
such occasion last Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry painted a different
picture, highlighting that, in contrast to the passenger jet from
Moscow to Damascus last week, the Armenian cargo plane had agreed to
have its contents checked in exchange for permission to use Turkey's
airspace.
The plane, traveling from Yerevan to Aleppo, has a crew of nine people
and is carrying 14 tons of cargo, Air Armenia's Operations Manager
Vardan Nazinyan said in a telephone interview from the Armenian
capital. The shipment - including jams, rice, sugar and pasta, among
other food items - was put together through the donations of a local
community in Yerevan to help Armenians in war-torn Aleppo, a major
city just 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Turkey's southern border that
has been the stage for fierce fighting between Mr. Assad's forces and
Syrian rebels. Mr. Nazinyan added that Erzurum had been designated for
Turkish authorities to search the plane and all the procedures
followed official agreement with the Foreign Ministry.
"We are very serious about this matter, we are following everything
very well and doing our duty," Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Arinc said in televised comments from Bursa. Speaking about two hours
after the plane landed at 11:30 a.m. local time, Mr. Arinc said,
"Armenia had declared that they are flying to Aleppo for humanitarian
aid. The plane landed, was searched and it was confirmed that the
declaration is true. The plane was allowed to take off."
Monday's landing followed a markedly different pattern to last week,
when a Syrian passenger plane from Moscow to Damascus was forced by
two F-16 fighter jets to land in the Turkish capital. Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan subsequently said it confiscated boxes
of materials designated to the Syrian Defense Ministry that included
ammunitions and military material. After a nine-hour stay in Ankara,
the Syrian jet, which had Russian passengers on board, was allowed to
continue to Damascus.
The episode initially appeared to strain Turkey's relations with
Russia, which said the cargo included legal radar parts and demanded
an explanation for the incident. But Moscow moved to cool friction
with Ankara on Sunday, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressing
that the incident wouldn't hurt "solid" relations.
Turkey was criticized by Syria for "air piracy" after last week's
forced landing. Mr. Erdogan, once Mr. Assad's ally, reversed his
earlier support for the Syrian regime in August 2011, about five
months after the uprising started. The Turkish premier has since been
calling for the president to leave and supports rebels seeking to oust
Mr. Assad's government.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443675404578058051605793478.html?m od=googlenews_wsj
Oct 15 2012
Turkey Releases Armenian Jet's Cargo After Probe
By EMRE PEKER
ISTANBUL - An Armenian cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid to Syria
landed on Monday in Turkey to let authorities investigate its cargo
before continuing its flight; part of Ankara's tougher stance toward
Damascus as it seeks to choke support for embattled President Bashar
al-Assad.
The Armenian plane's arrival in the eastern province of Erzurum
triggered a flurry of news reports that Ankara had forced down a
second plane destined to its southern neighbor following the first
such occasion last Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry painted a different
picture, highlighting that, in contrast to the passenger jet from
Moscow to Damascus last week, the Armenian cargo plane had agreed to
have its contents checked in exchange for permission to use Turkey's
airspace.
The plane, traveling from Yerevan to Aleppo, has a crew of nine people
and is carrying 14 tons of cargo, Air Armenia's Operations Manager
Vardan Nazinyan said in a telephone interview from the Armenian
capital. The shipment - including jams, rice, sugar and pasta, among
other food items - was put together through the donations of a local
community in Yerevan to help Armenians in war-torn Aleppo, a major
city just 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Turkey's southern border that
has been the stage for fierce fighting between Mr. Assad's forces and
Syrian rebels. Mr. Nazinyan added that Erzurum had been designated for
Turkish authorities to search the plane and all the procedures
followed official agreement with the Foreign Ministry.
"We are very serious about this matter, we are following everything
very well and doing our duty," Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Arinc said in televised comments from Bursa. Speaking about two hours
after the plane landed at 11:30 a.m. local time, Mr. Arinc said,
"Armenia had declared that they are flying to Aleppo for humanitarian
aid. The plane landed, was searched and it was confirmed that the
declaration is true. The plane was allowed to take off."
Monday's landing followed a markedly different pattern to last week,
when a Syrian passenger plane from Moscow to Damascus was forced by
two F-16 fighter jets to land in the Turkish capital. Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan subsequently said it confiscated boxes
of materials designated to the Syrian Defense Ministry that included
ammunitions and military material. After a nine-hour stay in Ankara,
the Syrian jet, which had Russian passengers on board, was allowed to
continue to Damascus.
The episode initially appeared to strain Turkey's relations with
Russia, which said the cargo included legal radar parts and demanded
an explanation for the incident. But Moscow moved to cool friction
with Ankara on Sunday, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressing
that the incident wouldn't hurt "solid" relations.
Turkey was criticized by Syria for "air piracy" after last week's
forced landing. Mr. Erdogan, once Mr. Assad's ally, reversed his
earlier support for the Syrian regime in August 2011, about five
months after the uprising started. The Turkish premier has since been
calling for the president to leave and supports rebels seeking to oust
Mr. Assad's government.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443675404578058051605793478.html?m od=googlenews_wsj