NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) – Russia’s foreign minister said Wednesday that he would agree to meet with his Turkish counterpart this week to hear Turkey’s explanations on the downing of a Russian air force jet.
Sergey Lavrov said he will meet Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe meeting of foreign ministers in Belgrade, the Serbian capital.
“We will meet with the Turkish minister of foreign affairs, we will hear what he has to say,” Lavrov said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart. He added that Turkey had consistently asked to arrange such a meeting.
Lavrov said he spoke to Cavusoglu by telephone the day after the Russian aircraft was shot down, but heard only what Turkey had already stated publicly and “just some excuses.”
The meeting could offer a way to de-escalate a growing crisis between Russia and Turkey.