Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that in case of another violation of the country's airspace, Ankara is ready to respond in the same manner as with Russia's Su-24.
"If today there will be another violation of our airspace, we are capable of the same kind of response," Tayyip Erdogan said.
The downing of Russia's Su-24 bomber was an "automatic reaction" in line with a standing order given to the Turkish military, according to Erdogan.
Ankara claimed it downed the Russian plane because it had violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 was downed in Syrian airspace and never crossed into Turkey, in accordance with precise objective control data.
One of the two Su-24 pilots was killed by fire from the ground after ejecting from the plane and a Russian naval infantry soldier was killed during a rescue operation.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin described the Turkish attack as a "stab in the back" carried out by "accomplices of terrorists."
Erdogan called Kremlin's reaction to the incident is "emotional" and "unfitting of politicians" following Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's proposal to cancell joint projects.
The Turkish leader stated that he will continue to support moderate rebels and Turkmens who are engaged in a fight against Syria's government.
The president also denied that Turkey does not buy oil from the Islamic State and statements that Ankara is supporting terrorists need to be proven.
“It’s said that Turkey is buying oil from the Islamic State. Everyone knows where we buy our energy resources. Most from Russia, then from Iran, Azerbaijan, and northern Iraq. Let’s have proof that we’re buying from the IS. Let those who accuse us of buying oil from the IS prove it. If you’re looking for the financial sources of the IS, the first place you need to look is at the [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regime and those who support him,” Erdogan said in Ankara.
On Wednesday, Russian Ambassador to France Alexander Orlov said that Turkey had played an "ambiguous" role in the campaign against the IS while acting as an accomplice to the terrorist group’s activities.
In October, a US Treasury Department spokesperson told Sputnik that IS had derived up to $1.5 billion in revenue from looting banks and illicit oil proceeds, having captured several oil fields.
