Russian, Turkish FMs meet for first time since Su-24 shootdown

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu met for the first time in Belgrade on Thursday after the downing of the Russian fighter jet by the Turkish air force on Nov. 24. The meeting took place on Thursday afternoon on the sidelines of the 22nd Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). However, no statements or press releases were given after the conversation was held behind closed doors. Diplomatic relations between Russia and Turkey were recently shaken after the Russian Su-24 was shot down near the Turkish-Syrian border by Turkish forces on Nov. 24. As a response to the incident, which was seen as a hostile act, Russia suspended military contacts with Turkey and imposed economic sanctions. According to Russia Today, Lavrov said after the meeting that he had heard nothing new from his Turkish counterpart regarding Ankara's position on the downing of Russia's bomber during an operation near the Syrian-Turkish border. "We met with the head of the Turkish foreign ministry on his insistent request. We heard nothing new. The Turkish foreign minister confirmed the approaches publicly expressed by Turkey's president and prime minister. We have repeated our position," Lavrov was quoted by Russia Today. For his part, Cavusoglu was also quoted as saying the talks with his Russian counterpart had not solved any problems in the two countries' bilateral relations. "The situation remains tense," he said. Russia's President Vladimir Putin warned Turkey today in Moscow during his annual speech that it would regret the shooting down of the Russian bomber jet which he called a "treacherous war crime," and announced more sanctions to come.