Russian arms found on Syrian plane

[Reece]

Turkish Prime Minister says they are examining the equipment which was sent from Moscow and destined for the Syrian military.

Turkey's Prime Minister says a Syrian plane forced to land in Ankara was carrying Russian-made munitions destined for Damascus.

Tayyip Erdogan has said a Syrian passenger plane from Moscow which was forced to land in Ankara was carrying Russian-made munitions.

It's believed the arms were destined for Syria's defence ministry.

The Airbus A320, which had 37 passengers on board, was escorted to Ankara airport by F-16 fighter jets where the Turkish authorities seized some of its cargo.

"We are determined to control weapons transfers to a regime that carries out such brutal massacres against civilians," said Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

None of the planes passengers were arrested, and all were allowed to travel on to Syria.

The Syrian authorities say the plane was carrying civilian electrical equipment and has described the interception as an act of piracy.

Russia's ambassador to Turkey was also summoned to the country's foreign ministry after the forced landing.

The Russian Government complained that the passengers were not given consular access, food or access to a doctor.  They said in a statement that "the lives and safety of the passengers were placed under threat".

The incident is a ratcheting up of regional tensions surrounding Syria's civil war.  Russia is a long-term ally of  Syria, and has backed the Assad regime in its bloody civil conflict with the country's opposition.

Russia and China have vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions which would have imposed sanction against the Syrian Government.

Turkey, which shares a 900 km-long border with Syria, has emerged as one of the Assad regimes fiercest critics, despite a close relationship prior to the Arab Spring.

Turkey openly backs the Syrian opposition, providing support for rebel fighters, and housing more than 80,000 registered Syrian refugees.

In recent weeks, Turkish border villages have been repeatedly hit by shells fired from Syria. Last week in the border town of Akcakale a mortar bomb killed five civilians, including a mother and her three children.

The incident prompted the Turkish parliament to vote to authorize military action against Syria if necessary. The Turkish military has repeatedly fired back across the border in recent days.

Some fear that skirmishes on the border could escalate into a regional war, though any conflict with Syria would be deeply unpopular with the Turkish public, and Turkeys Government has repeatedly said that it has no desire for an armed conflict with its neighbour.

But the Turkish are clearly frustrated by their inability to prevent the chaos of Syria's conflict from spilling over its own borders.  In August the Turkish Foreign Minister said that his country could take no more than 100,000 Syrian refugees, and called on the UN to set up new camps in a "safe have" inside Syria.

However, it is unclear how such a safe haven could be established without a no-fly zone and greater international involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The United States, Britain and other western powers have so far avoided direct intervention in the Syrian conflict, which opposition groups estimate has already cost more than 30,000 lives.

[Wolfe]

Completely within their right, the plane flew above their airspace carrying contraband ammunition from Russia to Syria, that is some serious charges right there, it only shows Russia is supporting the syrian government.

[Ragdoll]

it only shows Russia is supporting the syrian government.

Nothing we didn't already know. :razz:

[Kirgiz]

it only shows Russia is supporting the syrian government.

LOL where have you been this whole time?

[Alan.Wake]

"We are determined to control weapons transfers to a regime that carries out such brutal massacres against civilians," said Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Right, like you haven't done enough damage to the Armenians and the orthodox states, pet dogs.

[Ratko Gavrilovic]

Nothing wrong with Russia supporting Syria.

[Taylor_P]

Nothing wrong with Russia supporting Syria.

Indeed dont you know that in all civil wars the big nations always pick a side and if there side losses oh well and if they win PROFIT and a new found ally.

[Mikal]

Indeed dont you know that in all civil wars the big nations always pick a side and if there side losses oh well and if they win PROFIT and a new found ally.

Who would want Syria as a fucking ally?

[Taylor_P]

Who would want Syria as a f**king ally?

Sphere of influence, Russia wants some more /endpoint

[Wolfe]

Nothing we didn't already know. :razz:

Well yes, I mean directly supplying arms by illegal means.

[Alan.Wake]

Well yes, I mean directly supplying arms by illegal means.

Then what's the legal way? I am seeing rebels running around with American military weapons...

[Wolfe]

Then what's the legal way? I am seeing rebels running around with American military weapons...

Well, shipping them through civilian aircraft without getting proper documentation of it is certainly not it. and i never actually saw any rebel with an M4 or M16, only AK's and RPG's.

[Taylor_P]

Well, shipping them through civilian aircraft without getting proper documentation of it is certainly not it. and i never actually saw any rebel with an M4 or M16, only AK's and RPG's.

Its cause western media is good at not showing thoes "conflicts" also the reason ak's and RPG is simple, there so much and many of em and they almost never breakdown, Crude but very effective and for a rebel a perfect combination.

[Gandalf]

LOL. 300KG of ammo will last about 5 minutes, so yeah its really useful to put it on a passenger plane traveling through Turkish airspace, and not send it through Iran....

As for relations with Syria, the single harbour that gives the Russian fleet direct access to the Mediterrenean is in Syra.

[Ragdoll]

As for relations with Syria, the single harbor that gives the Russian fleet direct access to the Mediterranean is in Syria.

This, right now the first world countries are in a race to see who can get first access to the Mediterranean.