Lavrov: Turkish aircraft will be shot down if they violate Syrian airspace Saturday, October 22, 2016 6:53:00 AM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to the statement by the Syrian Defense Ministry that they intend to bring down Turkish Air Force aircraft if they invade the country’s airspace, reaffirming Damascus' position.

Lavrov said that Syria is a sovereign state, a member of the United Nations and has full sovereignty over its territory and over its airspace.

“Any attempt to repeatedly violate Syrian airspace by Turkish military aircraft will be rebuffed, and they will be shot down by any available means,” the minister said, TASS reported.

According to Lavrov, the Russian side is concerned about Turkish air strikes on Syrian areas inhabited by Kurds.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that “Turkey is a member of that same coalition, which was created by the United States, clearly stating that the coalition is being created for the sole purpose of fighting the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra…I presume that the United States, as the host, and the commanders of the coalition do everything possible to stay within the declared goals,” Lavrov said.

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