On November 24, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias over the telephone at the initiative of the Greek side.

On behalf of Greek leaders, Mr Kotzias offered his condolences in connection with the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish air forces and the death of a Russian pilot who was flying an anti-terrorist mission in Syria. Athens agrees with the Russian President’s assessments of Ankara’s actions as unfriendly with regard to Russia and running counter to the goals of the anti-ISIS coalition.

Athens understands the provocative nature of Turkish policies particularly well, with due consideration for regular and lasting for years violations of Greek air space by Ankara.

The Russian side reiterated its call for cooperation and for pooling efforts by the international community in the fight against terrorism.

November 25, 2015