December 02, 2015•Update: December 04, 2015
ANKARA
Turkey acted within its rules of engagement in the wake of last week’s shooting down of Russian military jet, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Sergiy Korsunsky told Anadolu Agency.
"We think that Turkey acted as it should act when its borders were violated," Korsunsky said Tuesday.
Korsunsky added: "I strongly support Turkish position and I believe Turkey has done everything possible to avoid confrontation and to ease tensions with Russia afterwards."
Since the downing of a Russian warplane that violated Turkey’s airspace near the Syrian border on Nov. 24, Russia has announced a range of sanctions against Turkey.
Among the sanctions imposed by Moscow is the end of visa-free travel and a ban on Turkish food products. Russia has also called on its nationals to boycott Turkey as a tourist destination.
Korsunsky described Russian actions as "completely disproportional" and said the sanctions will harm Russia not Turkey.
"There is a good saying that if you play with fire, get ready to be burned. Everybody else is wrong, but only Russia is right. This is of course complete nonsense," he said.
The ambassador said Turkey wants peace in Syria.
"We cannot understand how Russia can support this bloody dictator [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad and his fight and his killing of its own people. Now Russia supports him and participate in airstrikes against civilian population in northern Syria, populated with Turkmens," he added.
