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Russia Says No Weapons On Plane For Syria Stopped By Turkey


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said there were "no weapons" aboard a Syrian passenger airliner that left Moscow bound for Damascus on October 10 and was forced by Turkish warplanes to land in Ankara.

Lavrov says cargo on the plane, which he described as "electronic equipment for radars," came from a "legal Russian supplier being sent in a legal way to a legal customer."

Lavrov conceded some of the cargo was "dual purpose" and could have civilian and military uses.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 11 that the plane had ammunition and military equipment for the Syrian Defense Ministry.

Syria has also denied there were any weapons on the plane and demanded all material seized in Ankara be returned.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and Interfax

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