Sweden, Denmark summon Russia envoys over aircraft incident
Iran Press TV
Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:31PM GMT
Sweden and Denmark have summoned Russia's ambassadors over an alleged near-collision between a Russian surveillance aircraft and a commercial jet flying from the Danish capital, Copenhagen, to Poland.
The Swedish defense forces said Monday the incident happened over Malmoe, a southern Sweden city, on December 2.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem said the Russian aircraft was flying without an electronic transponder, which made it undetectable and invisible to commercial jets, and it was dangerously close to the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) jet.
Speaking on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, she called the incident "very inappropriate," adding, 'We speak with one voice.... Already yesterday (Sunday) we [made] contact with the Russian embassy and the meeting will take place today.'
Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard also called the incident a 'rather serious situation,' adding, 'It is totally unreasonable that civilian lives are put at risk in this way.'
He added, 'I hope that we can reach an agreement with the Russians in trying to limit these kinds of flights.'
The incident happened while tensions involving the Russian military are reportedly rising in the Baltic region.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, meanwhile, on Sunday denied the near-miss, adding, 'No prerequisites existed for an air accident related with a flight of a Russian warplane in the international air space over the Baltic Sea."
MIS/HMV/SS
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