Armenia said a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down one of its warplanes over Armenian airspace on Tuesday, killing the pilot.
An Armenian defense ministry spokeswoman said the Armenian Sukhoi Su-25 warplane had been on a military assignment when it was downed by an F-16 fighter jet owned by the Turkish air force.
“The claim that Turkey shot down an Armenian fighter jet is absolutely untrue,” said Fahrettin Altun, a spokesman for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Armenia should withdraw from the territories under its occupation instead of resorting to cheap propaganda tricks.”
Armenian officials said Azerbaijani forces opened fire on a military unit in the Armenian town of Vardenis, setting a bus on fire and killing one civilian.
Turkey openly backs Azerbaijan, Russia – which has a military base in Armenia but is also friendly with Azerbaijan – has called for an immediate ceasefire.
