Downing of Russian jet a 'pilot's mistake,' says Turkish President Erdoğan

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the Nov. 24, 2015, downing of a Russian jet by a Turkish warplane for violating Turkish airspace as a “mistake.”

The incident precipitated a major row between Ankara and Moscow, with the latter imposing several economic sanctions on Turkey in return. 

“It is really thought-provoking that our relations with Mr. [Vladimir] Putin came to the current level from a very different point and [he] sacrificed Turkey due to a mistake or fault by a pilot,” Erdoğan said. 

“We should be involved in developing ties for sure and returning them to [where they were],” he said.

Still, the president said he did not understand what manner of “first step” Turkey should take to repair ties.

However, the president did not elaborate on the nature of such a mistake or whether it belonged to a Russian or Turkish pilot.