MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Turkey apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin for downing a Russian jet over Syria last fall but did not mention financial compensation for the incident, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday.
“There is no reference to compensation for the Russian plane, we merely extended our apologies,” Yildirim said as quoted by CNN Turk television station, a day after telling another Turkish broadcaster Ankara would pay damages “if it is necessary.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized to Putin in a letter for the November 2015 downing of Russia's Su-24, saying he did not want to damage ties with Moscow, the Kremlin spokesman said Monday.
