Turkey is nothing in comparison with Russia's military might - expert

On January 30, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that a Russian military aircraft violated Turkish airspace. According to the Turkish side, a Russian Su-34 violated the country's airspace on Friday. According to Turkish officials, the Turkish military "repeatedly warned the Russian plane in Russian and English."

Photo: AP photo

Russia's Defense Ministry rejected Ankara's accusations about the alleged violation of Turkish airspace. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said that such accusations were nothing but unsubstantiated propaganda. "There were no violations of Turkish airspace by the planes of the Russian group in the Syrian Arab Republic. The statements from the Turkish side about the alleged fact of violation of Turkish airspace by Su-34 are unsubstantiated propaganda," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu instructed the Turkish Foreign Ministry to ask Russia to present explanations to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in connection with the alleged violation of Turkish airspace by Russian Su-34 aircraft.

Why did Turkey decide to bring the issue to NATO's attention? How should Russia react to this? Pravda.Ru asked an expert opinion on the subject from Semyon Bagdasarov, an expert with the Center for the Analysis of Central Asia and the Middle East.

"Erdogan is acting under the cover of NATO, because he perfectly understands that Turkey is nothing if compared with Russia's military might. This is his strategy - to act under the cover of NATO's power and occupy Syria at the same time. This is what he has been doing for the recent two months," the orientalist told Pravda.Ru.

"Russia won't explain, we could only care less about the NATO Secretary General," Bagdasarov added.

We asked the expert whether the Russian aircraft could violate Turkish airspace.

"I think it could not. Doesn't Turkey commit violations on a daily basis? The leader of Jabhat en Nusra (the group is banned in the Russian Federation) acknowledged that Turkish commandos fight in the buffer zone on Syrian territory," Semyon Bagdasarov added.

Pravda.Ru

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