CHP 'expects' rules of engagement to be implemented for airspace violations

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The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has said it expected Turkey would implement its declared rules of engagement in the event of an airspace violation, in response to a Russian warplane which reportedly entered Turkish airspace on Jan. 29, rekindling tension between Ankara and Moscow.   

"Turkey had set its new rules of engagement about Syria and declared them to the world. Thus, our rules of engagement are clear. We do not find the violation of our airspace by another country's warplane to be right. Our expectation is the implementation of these rules of engagement if they are not respected," Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu, leader of the CHP, said at a meeting in Germany on Jan. 31. 

Turkey said a Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace on Jan. 29, despite repeated warnings to the Russian pilot in both Russian and English. Turkey protested the violation as Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry. The Russian Defense Ministry however denied the airspace violation. Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane in November last year severed bilateral relations, as Moscow launched a series of sanctions against Turkey and its companies. 

Parliamentary system 'set by history'

On domestic political issues, K?l?çdaro?lu reiterated his party's position on the need to stay on the side of history, supporting the country's parliamentary system in opposition to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government's efforts to amend it with a presidential one. "Our view is very clear: The regime of a country is set by its history. We have around 200 years of experience in the parliamentary system," he said. 

Deficiencies in the existing parliamentary system could be fixed by the commission which...

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