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Turkey Threatens Russia With “Serious Consequences”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Russia that it will have to “endure the consequences” if their jets continue to violate Turkish airspace, following the alleged infringement by a Russian Su-34 warplane.  The stern warning comes just two months after Turkey shot down a Russian jet for crossing over its territory. The incident is hotly disputed by Russia, who say they were legally flying over Syria at the time. Foxnews.com reports: “We regard this infringement which came despite all our warnings in Russian and in English as an effort by Russia to escalate the crisis in the region,” Erdogan told reporters before departing on a Latin American tour. “If Russia continues the violations of Turkey’s sovereign rights, it will be forced to endure the consequences.” Erdogan didn’t specify what the consequences might be. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, denied there was any violation of Turkish airspace and called the Turkish statements “unsubstantiated propaganda.” “These irresponsible steps do not help the Russian Federation, NATO-Russia relations or regional and global peace,” Erdogan said. “On the contrary they are detrimental.” Turkey claims the Russian SU-34 crossed into Turkish airspace Friday. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Ankara summoned the Russian [...]