Russian warships cross Bosphorus into Black Sea: report Istanbul (AFP) March 04, 2014 - Two Russian warships crossed Turkeys Bosphorus Strait Tuesday headed towards the Black Sea, Turkish media reported as Russia and the West were locked in a standoff over Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Turkeys state-run Anatolia news agency, carrying a picture of one of the warships, said Russia had summoned the vessels back to its Black Sea fleet to strengthen its military presence in Crimea. A Ukrainian vessel was also seen crossing the Dardanelles Strait off Turkeys west coast and was expected to enter the Black Sea, the agency said. The Turkish military said that it scrambled eight F-16 jets on Monday after a Russian spy plane was detected flying parallel to its Black Sea coast. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone late Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said it was the responsibility of Ukrainians to resolve their countrys crisis. Erdogan also emphasized that the instability (in Ukraine) would have a grave impact on the entire region, a statement from his office said. Turkey, a NATO ally, has repeatedly voiced fears about the fate of the Turkish-speaking Tatar minority in Crimea, which was part of the Ottoman Empire until it was conquered by Russia in the late 18th century. Canada suspends military exercises with Russia Ottawa (AFP) March 04, 2014 - Canadas Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday ordered the suspension of joint military exercises with Russia, over Moscows troop intervention in Ukraines Crimea region. I have this morning directed that, effective immediately, all planned bilateral activities between the Canadian Armed Forces and the military of the Russian Federation be suspended, Harper said in a statement. This includes an annual drill that last year saw Russia, Canada and the United States scramble fighter jets to intercept a hijacked commercial airliner. A Russian Tupolev, an A-50 Beriev and Sukhoi fighter jets, as well as US AWACS and Canadian CF-18 Hornets were used in the simulation. Meanwhile in the House of Commons, Harper renewed criticisms of Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, drawing parallels with Nazi Germany. What has occurred, as we know, has been the decision of a major power to effectively invade and occupy a neighboring country based on some kind of extraterritorial claim of jurisdiction over ethnic minorities, Harper said. We have not seen this kind of behavior since the Second World War. This is clearly unacceptable, and it is our view the world community as it reflects upon these actions will isolate Russia as a consequence. Ukraines flag was also flown outside Canadas parliament in a show of solidarity, one day after Canadian lawmakers voted unanimously to strongly condemn Russias actions. Three percent of Canadians, or 1.2 million people, trace their roots to Ukraine.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:28:32 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015