Russian Politics & Diplomacy

November 26, 16:33 UTC+3

The Russian Foreign Ministry has grounds to believe the United States knows people who danced around the body of the killed Russian pilot

http://tass.ru/en/politics/839561

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Turkey is clearly an accomplice of terrorists, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova said Thursday.

"If a strike was delivered at those who conducted an operation against terrorists, how else can the actions of that side by described? As those of accomplices of terrorists - unambiguously, there’s no other variant here," Zakharova said.

Zakharova pointed out Turkey is using all available methods to protect armed criminals.

"We assume that Ankara does not care for the fate of civilians but is concerned with the future of those whose faces everybody had a chance to see in a footage distributed by the world media after the Turkish Air Force had downed the Russian jet," the Russian diplomat went on to say.

"The people whom Ankara is trying to protect by using all available methods, some of which are criminal, have got nothing to do with peaceful civilians. We are talking about armed cutthroats who shot a Russian pilot and then mocked at his dead body," Zakharova stressed.

According to the spokeswoman, Russia is expecting statements from Turkey on what Ankara’s attitude is toward people who mocked the body of a killed Russian pilot.

"If these are not people Ankara protects, then we are expecting relevant denials from Turkey’s official structures," Zakharova said. "We are expecting explanations."

The diplomat stressed that Moscow has all grounds to believe the United States knows people who danced around the body of the killed Russian pilot.

The ministry considers comments by US State Department on linking fate of catapulted Russian pilot with right to self-defense wild.

"These are wild comments, fi we say that we deal simply with civilized people - these comments by the US State Department on linking the catapulted Russian pilot’s shooting from the ground and the right to self-defense," the diplomat said.

"This was seen by everyone. The plane was shot down and the catapulted pilot was being shot from the ground," the diplomat said.

"Social networks have all the data on these people and also photos of those who were shooting down the pilots from the ground," Zakharova said.

"We have all the data to believe that the US State Department has information on who these people are," she said. ‘We are waiting for corresponding statements from the US State Department. Who, after all, are these people who danced around the body of the Russian pilot?" she said.

"This is the case of the violation of humanitarian law," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. "This is the case when people deprived of the possibility of combat actions were attacked," she added.

Zakharova pointed out that Turkish fighters made no attempts to establish contact with Russia’s Sukhoi-24 frontline bomber, downed over Syria.

"No attempts by the Turkish plane to contact the crew of our plane were registered by objective monitoring means," she said.

She said NATO allows Ankara to carry out actions threatening global peace and security, but the alliance should be aware of the possible consequences of this policy.

"NATO’s position is causing total rejection. The alliance has apparently yielded to Turkey’s pressure," Zakharova said. "NATO has used the idea of notorious allied solidarity as a cover to give an indulgency to Turkey and other NATO members to any unlawful actions, which are not just undermining international efforts to fight the Islamic State (the terrorist group is banned in Russia) but are creating a direct threat to global peace and security," the Russian diplomat said.

The diplomat condemned NATO’s position, saying that the alliance has apparently yielded to Turkey’s pressure. "While hiding behind the notorious allied solidarity, NATO has in fact granted indulgence to Ankara and other members of the bloc to carry out any illegal actions," she said.

These actions ruin international efforts in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group banned in Russia and create a direct threat for the global peace and security, Zakharova said.

Zakharova also noted the alliance’s attempts to shift the blame for the incident on Russia. "NATO has not even bothered to offer condolences to us," the diplomat said. It’s a shame that the alliance has not voiced its stance on the incident when the Russian pilot was killed by gunfire as he parachuted from the plane, she said.

Russia hopes that the NATO leadership is fully aware of the risks and negative consequences of such a short-sighted policy, she said. "Such a policy sets the alliance against the whole international community and joint efforts on countering real threat and modern challenges."

The official also dwelled upon the upcoming meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council . According to the spokeswoman, the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Belgrade on December 3-4 will discuss the fight against terrorism.

"The upcoming ministerial meeting will take place against the background of the terrorism wave that has already reached and practically flooded Europe and not only Europe but the neighboring regions," Zakharova told reporters.

"The ministers of the OSCE member-states are expected to discuss the origin of terrorism and the need of uniting efforts in the fight against this evil."

The diplomat stressed: "We expect an open and what is very important a depo

---

IZAKOVIC