NATO calls on Russia to act responsibly

Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Russian air space violation

A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace yesterday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities. Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is.

I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again.

I welcome the direct contacts between Ankara and Moscow, and I call for calm and de-escalation.

NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our Ally, Turkey.

Allies agreed in December to increase the presence of AWACS early warning aircraft over Turkey, as we continue to augment Turkey’s air defences. This decision precedes yesterday’s incident.