Turkey wants to avoid escalation of tensions with Russia – Erdogan

15:22, 25.11.2015 1 min read

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his country does not want escalation of the situation with the downed Russian Sukhoi Su-24 plane.

"We have no intention to escalate the situation. We only stood up to defend our own security and the rights of our brothers," he told a business forum in Istanbul.

The Turkish leader said the Russian plane was shot down in the Turkish air space, but fell in Syria. He said some of the debris from the downed plane fell on the territory of Turkey and two citizens of the country were hurt.

Erdogan said the Turkish policies on Syria will not change.

"We will continue our humanitarian efforts on both sides of the Syrian border. We intend to take all necessary measures to prevent a new wave of immigration," he said.