Tweet
Financial Mirror
October 15, 2012 Monday
TURKEY: Authorities force down, search Armenian plane
Turkey ordered an Armenian plane flying to the Syrian city of Aleppo
to land on Monday and authorities were searching its cargo, as Ankara
steps up efforts to prevent its air space being used to supply the
Syrian military.
Turkey had previously been informed the plane, which was forced to
land in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum, would be carrying
humanitarian aid and Armenian officials knew it would be searched, an
official from the Turkish prime minister's office said.
The plane would be allowed to continue on its journey if nothing else
was found, a Turkish foreign ministry official said.
Turkey forced down a Syrian airliner travelling from Moscow last
Wednesday and said it was carrying Russian munitions destined for
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military, infuriating Moscow and
Damascus.
Russia has said there were no weapons on the plane and that it was
carrying a legal cargo of radar. But it moved to cool friction with
Ankara - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the incident would not
hurt "solid" relations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said over the weekend Turkish
air space had been closed to Syrian planes. Syria has also banned
Turkish planes from flying over its territory.
From: Baghdasarian
October 15, 2012 Monday
TURKEY: Authorities force down, search Armenian plane
Turkey ordered an Armenian plane flying to the Syrian city of Aleppo
to land on Monday and authorities were searching its cargo, as Ankara
steps up efforts to prevent its air space being used to supply the
Syrian military.
Turkey had previously been informed the plane, which was forced to
land in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum, would be carrying
humanitarian aid and Armenian officials knew it would be searched, an
official from the Turkish prime minister's office said.
The plane would be allowed to continue on its journey if nothing else
was found, a Turkish foreign ministry official said.
Turkey forced down a Syrian airliner travelling from Moscow last
Wednesday and said it was carrying Russian munitions destined for
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military, infuriating Moscow and
Damascus.
Russia has said there were no weapons on the plane and that it was
carrying a legal cargo of radar. But it moved to cool friction with
Ankara - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the incident would not
hurt "solid" relations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said over the weekend Turkish
air space had been closed to Syrian planes. Syria has also banned
Turkish planes from flying over its territory.
From: Baghdasarian