Ankara: Turkey said it has confiscated illicit
cargo from a Syrian passenger plane forced to land in Ankara, reportedly on suspicions that it was carrying
weapons, as tensions run high between the neighbouring nations.
Turkey seized “objectionable cargo” aboard
the plane which it intercepted en route from Moscow to Damascus on Wednesday,
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after Anatolia news agency quoted
officials as saying they suspected the aircraft was carrying arms.
Turkey scrambled two jets to force
the Syrian plane to land in Ankara on suspicions that its cargo contained
weapons and ammunition.
“The Syrian Air Airbus A320 with more than
30 passengers and crew would be allowed to continue its journey to the Syrian
capital without the cargo,” Davutoglu said.
Turkey will hold on to
the cargo for further investigation, he added.
The warning briefly
interrupted Turkish air traffic, with Turkish planes changing routes to avoid
the Syrian skies.