Lithuania recalls Turkey's downing of a Russian Su-24 jet in response to Estonia's provocations
In a recent post on Twitter, Lithuania's Minister of Defense Dovydas Šakalienė brought attention to the need for strengthened patrols on the eastern flank of NATO. The minister used the 2015 incident involving Turkey shooting down a Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria as an example, emphasising the importance of the "Enhanced Air Policing" operation.
According to the post, reported by the news outlet "European Truth," Minister Šakalienė suggested that the current situation is testing the North-Eastern border of NATO for a reason. The minister called Turkey's actions in 2015 an example and posed it as food for thought.
The incident in November 2015 saw Turkish authorities stating that the Russian plane did not respond to warnings before being shot down, in order to defend Turkey's sovereignty. In the aftermath, relations between Ankara and Moscow deteriorated, with Russian President Vladimir Putin describing the incident as "a stab in the back by accomplices of terrorists." However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later issued an apology, which began the process of improving relations.
Minister Šakalienė stated that the incident with Russian fighters is "another convincing evidence" of the need for NATO's "Enhanced Air Policing" operation. The countries involved in the consideration of strengthening NATO air surveillance on the eastern flank in relation to the 2015 shooting down of a Russian Su-24 bomber by Turkey are NATO member states, with Turkey being directly involved due to the incident, and other NATO countries supporting enhanced air defense measures along the alliance’s eastern borders.
In her post, Minister Šakalienė emphasised the need for resoluteness in the face of these challenges, and encouraged NATO members to remain vigilant and committed to the alliance's collective defence.
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