Tensions Persists Between Turkey and Russia

There were more tensions between Russia and Turkey on Monday as Moscow’s ambassador in Ankara was summoned to the foreign ministry for clarifications following an incident in which a Russian soldier on a warship passing through the Bosphorus Strait was photographed with a rocket launcher on his shoulder apparently ready to fire at targets on the shore. “The ship’s passage in such a way was clearly a provocation. This has to come to an end,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Kanal 24 television. “I hope it is an isolated incident.” In related news, the regime in Baghdad is demanding that Turkish troops deployed to northern Iraq in support of the international battle against the Islamic State (IS) terror militia be removed, however and Iraqi official hastened to add that the demand was not related to advisers from Turkey and other allied nations which are in Iraq to train and assist local forces.