DHAKA: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced ‘sadness’ on Saturday over the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkish forces, saying he wished it had not happened.

Addressing supporters, Erdogan again defended Turkey’s action and criticized Russia for its moves in Syria before expressing his regrets.

‘We wish it hadn’t happened, but it happened. I hope something like this doesn’t happen again,’ Erdogan said, reports Al Jazeera.

The Turkish president said both sides should approach the issue in a more positive way.

Erdogan renewed a call for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the UN’s climate change conference in Paris that starts on Monday.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkey issued a travel warning urging its nationals to delay non-urgent trips to Russia.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said it issued the warning because Turkish travelers were facing ‘problems’ in Russia. It said Turks should delay travel plans until ‘the situation becomes clear’.

Turkey’s downing of the Russian military jet on Tuesday - the first time in half a century that a NATO member shot down a Russian plane - has drawn a harsh response from Moscow, which Erdogan has dismissed as emotional and indecorous.

BDST: 1919 HRS, NOV 28, 2015
RR