Turkey enjoys right to defend itself -- Obama

WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- US President Barack Obama has re-affirmed Turkey's right to defend its sovereignty in aftermath of Tuesday's downing of a Russian jet fighter by Turkish warplanes over the Syrian-Turkish border region.
President Obama has spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Turkeyآ’s downing of the Russian aircraft, the White House said in a statement, issued late on Tuesday. "The President expressed U.S. and NATO support for Turkeyآ’s right to defend its sovereignty," it added.
The two leaders agreed on the importance of de-escalating the situation and pursuing arrangements to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, it said. They also reiterated their shared commitment to efforts to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.
Tension has mounted between Ankara and Moscow after Turkish F-16 fighter jets shot down the Sukhoi aircraft. Ankara said the warplane was shot down after its pilots ignored warnings that they were violating the Turkish air space.
Russia, air force of which is engaged in daily air strikes on Syrian opposition strongholds in Syria, denied that its fighter jet breached the Turkish air space. (end) rk