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On June 24, Turkey's Today's Zaman headlined "Turkey: Downed jet was hit in international airspace," saying:
Davutoglu said Turkey's "jet was shot down in international airspace 13 miles off Syria." Perhaps he meant km. He added that it's "either amateurish behavior or ill-intention to describe the Turkish plane as a threat."
Imagine his reaction if Syrian warplanes violated Turkish airspace flying low at high speeds.
Interviewed on TRT Haber television, he claimed Turkish aircraft briefly entered Syrian airspace "but not during the time it was shot down."
"During the entire operation conducted by the downed jet, Syria made no attempt to contact Turkish authorities by any means.""We will, without any hesitation, decisively take the necessary steps regarding the Turkish plane downed by Syria. No country can show the courage to test Turkey's patience."
In response, Damascus said the plane was inside Syrian airspace when downed. Davutoglu called Syria's explanation "disinformation." He said Ankara will brief NATO members within days.
On June 24, Turkey's Hurrieyet daily said NATO envoys will meet Tuesday to discuss the incident. NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said:
"Turkey has requested consultations under article 4 of NATO's founding Washington Treaty. Under article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened."Article 4 calls for members to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any" is threatened.
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