Kyrgyz president says Turkey’s decision to down Russian jet was wrong

Baku. 24 December. REPORT.AZ/ Turkey should not have taken radical measures and downed a Russian military plane, Report informs referring to the RIA Novosti, Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev told a press conference on Thursday.

Ankara’s actions were "a great mistake" and resulted in the tragedy for the peoples of Turkey and Russia, he added. "The situation is deteriorating, and TV channels of Turkey and Russia fall into some kind of frenzy at times," Atambayev continued. "However, I will repeat that the decision to down the plane was wrong," he stressed.

Turkey’s actions were "a blow to the relations that had developed for 25 years," the Kyrgyz president noted. "I know that the Turkish president regrets it, and those who struck the jet did not understand that they also struck bilateral relations," Atambayev stated adding that Turkey "should think and make a right decision."

"It is a bitter situation for me, this situation is uneasy for everybody. Both sides will suffer," Atambayev said adding that it would be great if Russia and Turkey normalized their bilateral relations. "However, the Turkish side should make the first step," he stressed.