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The plane incident has also increased tensions between Turkey and Russia, one of Syria last remaining allies.

Russia’s ITAR-Tass news agency quoted an official at the Russian Embassy in Ankara as saying that the cargo “was not of Russian origin.” Rosoboronexport, which handles most of Russia’s military export contracts, said none of its cargo was on the plane.

Meanwhile Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Russia was concerned that “the lives and safety of the passengers, among whom were 17 Russian citizens, had been endangered.”

He said Turkey without explanation denied Russian consular officials and a doctor access to the passengers, who had not been allowed into the airport for eight hours or provided with food.

“The Russian side continues to insist on an explanation for the Turkish authorities’ actions toward Russian citizens and on the adoption of measures to avoid such incidents in the future,” Lukashevich said in a statement.

The plane’s 37 passengers and crew were allowed to continue to Damascus after several hours, without the cargo.

Also Thursday, Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz announced that Syria had stopped buying electricity from Turkish suppliers about a week ago.

“The door is open. If they request [electricity] again then we could resume providing it,” Yildiz told reporters, adding that it was Syria’s own decision.

Yildiz said Turkish companies supply around 2.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The electricity amounted to some 18-20 per cent of Syria’s needs, he said.

He did not say why Syria had halted purchases, saying only “It was an agreement between Syria and the companies.”

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Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Nataliya Vasilyeva and Max Seddon in Moscow; and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.