MOSCOW
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov made new comments on a Syrian passenger plane that was recently forced to land in Ankara while on its way to Syria from Russia.
Speaking to the "Rossiyskaya" newspaper, Lavrov reiterated his claim that the cargo of the plane had electronic equipment for radar systems.
"Sending such cargo (to Syria) was not banned by international agreements or the UN Security Council," Lavrov stressed.
"Any country, within the frame of the Chicago Convention, may force such a plane to land if it deems that the plane had military equipment. This is what Turkey did. Turkey searched the cargo and let the plane go with its passengers. However, Turkey kept the cargo for a thorough examination," Lavrov underlined.
"We request from Turkey to announce that the Syrian plane did not have any weapons or military equipment. Turkish-Russian relations are close to having a strategic dimension," Lavrov noted.
"Our two countries have high level meeting mechanisms. We have good relations with Turkey. We have cooperation with Turkey in diverse fields. We do not want such incidents which may place a shadow on our relations," Lavrov also said.
