Armenia says warplane downed by Turkish jet; Ankara rejects as ‘absolutely untrue’
Armenia says one of its warplanes have been shot down by a Turkish fighter jet over the Armenian airspace, with Turkey categorically dismissing the claim.
The Armenian defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that an Armenian Sukhoi Su-25 warplane had been on a military assignment when it was downed by an F-16 fighter jet belonging to the Turkish air force and left the pilot dead.
The ministry said the Turkish jet had earlier taken off from Ganja Airbase in Azerbaijan and bombed settlements as well as ground troops of the Armenian Armed Forces around the area of Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The Armenian government also confirmed the report in a tweet, saying, “Armenian Su-25 was shot down by a Turkish F-16 that took off from the Ganja airbase in Azerbaijan.”
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin rejected the claim as “absolutely untrue,” and denied that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet had engaged with Armenian forces. The Azerbaijani defense ministry also dismissed the Armenia’s statement.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s communications director Fahrettin Altun said, “Armenia should withdraw from the territories under its occupation instead of resorting to cheap propaganda tricks.”
Turkey strongly backs Azerbaijan in the region and has historically poor relations with Armenia.
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EU warns against foreign role in Karabakh fighting, ICRC urges protection of civilian lives
Heavy clashes erupted on Sunday between Azerbaijani and Armenian military forces over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, a territory which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but has an Armenian population.
Scores have been killed and hundreds wounded in the worst spate of fighting between the two former Soviet republics since the 1990s.
Both sides blame each other for initiating the fighting in the Caucasus Mountains.
For years, the two neighbors have been locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway, mainly ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Though a ceasefire was agreed in 1994, Baku and Yerevan continue to accuse each other of shooting attacks around the enclave.
World leaders have urged a halt in recent fighting as the conflict has raised the specter of a fresh war between the two ex-Soviet Republics.
The European Union has also called on regional powers not to interfere in the fighting.
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