Obama on downing of Russian jet: Turkey has a right to defend its airspace - latimes

President Obama sought Tuesday to both defend a longtime NATO ally and keep the Syrian war from spiraling into an even deeper conflict after neighboring Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that it said violated its airspace.

In his first comments after the downing of the plane, Obama acknowledged that Turkey had the right to defend itself but also urged the two countries to “step back” from the brink of conflict and seek out common interests – particularly the fight against Islamic State.

Obama’s top priority, he said, is to “ensure that this does not escalate.”

“If Russia is directing its energies towards Daesh and ISIL, some of those conflicts or potentials for mistakes or escalation are less likely to occur,” Obama said, using different acronyms for Islamic State.

“Turkey, like every country, has a right to defend its territory and its airspace,” Obama said at a news conference alongside French President Francois Hollande, who visited the White House on Tuesday to try to strengthen the multinational coalition taking on the extremist group.

Both Obama and Hollande sought to put the onus on Russia to join their coalition, and Obama cast Russia as part of an isolated faction with Assad and Iran that would not succeed in its aims in Syria. - Read More at the latimes

Obama on downing of Russian jet: Turkey has a right to defend its airspace

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