LOC12:09
09:09 GMT
TOKYO, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- Japan on Wednesday urged Russia, Turkey and the relevant parties to ease tensions over the downing of a Russian warplane by the Turkish military on the previous day.
"We hope the countries concerned to react calmly based on objective facts, and the international community will continue to unite in the fight against terrorism," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference. The top government spokesman also said Japan will pay close attention to the situation.
On Tuesday, a Turkish military said in a statement that its two F-16 fighter jets shot down a Russian warplane after warning "10 times in five minutes" that it was violating Turkish airspace near the border with Syria. But in televised comments, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the violation, saying its Su-24M fighter was inside the Syrian border when it was shot down, and it posed no threat to Turkey.
"Russian pilots and aircraft were conducting an operation in the battle against Islamic State militants," the president insisted, calling the incident "a stab in the back." (end)
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