Turkish official: Russian jet near airspace not hostile

A high-ranking Turkish official said Monday that some Russian aircraft flying close to the Turkish airspace the day before was not a hostile move, semi-official Anadolu agency reported. Turkey scrambled four F-16 jets to follow a Russian IL-20 warplane after finding it flying in parallel with the Black Sea coast within 25 km from the Turkish airspace. The foreign ministry official also said Turkey's scrambling of the fighter jets was "a self-driven measure ... and was in line with the international law," adding "we do not see such flights as hostile," said the official, adding that "within our military engagement rules, we take precautionary measures in case of a parallel flight to our airspace." First such Russian flight approaching the Turkish airspace was on Oct. 23, as announced on the website of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had said earlier that Russia's such military operations do not lead to any tension between the two neighbors.