As ties freeze, Ankara summons Russian envoy over embassy demo

ISTANBUL — Turkey on Thursday summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara, following a violent demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, the foreign ministry said.

The protest comes two days after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border. Turkey has refused to apologize and claims the jet had strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it wanted to express Ankara’s discontent at the “unacceptable” incident, as well as for a series of incidents against Turkish companies in Russia, the ministry said in a written statement.

Earlier on Thursday, tensions between the country rose as Russia announced new measures that may significantly curb Turkish exports to Russia.

Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev said some 20 percent of Russia’s vegetables are imported from Turkey, but the country has a variety of alternatives, including Israel, Iran, Morocco, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Russia has also announced it will increase supervision of food products and agricultural produce imported from Turkey over “violations of standards,” media outlets in Israel and abroad reported.

The move could have a major impact on the economy of Turkey, which over the past 10 months has exported agricultural produce and food worth just over $1 billion (940 million euros) to Russia.

While Moscow conspicuously ruled out any military retaliation against NATO member Turkey, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he had given ministers two days to work out “a system of response measures” in the economic and humanitarian spheres.

He said the broad punitive steps for what he termed “this act of aggression” could include halting joint economic projects, restricting financial and trade transactions and changing customs duties.

Measures could also target the transport and tourism sector after Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier backed a warning to citizens not to travel to Turkey, where nearly 3.3 million Russians went on holiday last year.

In another move likely to infuriate Turkey, lawmakers from the Kremlin-friendly A Just Russia party introduced a bill calling for a maximum punishment of five years in jail for those who deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turkey in 1915 was a genocide.

Turkey has always rejected the killings were a premeditated attempt by the Ottoman Empire to wipe out the Armenians.

Meanwhile, Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traded barbs Thursday, with the Kremlin strongman demanding an apology for Tuesday’s downing that led to the death of one of two pilots and a soldier who took part in a failed rescue operation — Russia’s first combat losses since the start of its Syria campaign.

“We still have not heard any articulate apologies from Turkey’s highest political level nor any proposals to compensate for the harm and damage nor promises to punish criminals responsible for their crimes,” Putin said.

“We believe treacherous stabs in the back from those who we considered partners and allies in the anti-terror fight to be absolutely inexplicable,” said Putin, who also accused Turkey of buttressing the IS jihadists financially and militarily.

In Ankara, Erdogan insisted his country did not buy any oil from the Islamic State group.