The body of a Russian pilot killed after his jet was shot down by the Turkish military has been handed over to Turkish authorities, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told journalists in Ankara on Sunday.
At Russia’s request, the pilot had been given Orthodox funeral rites, and his body would be handed over to Russia, he said.
The two nations have been at odds since Turkey shot down the jet near the Turkey-Syria border on Tuesday, saying it had violated Turkish airspace. Russia has denied that claim.
The countries disagree sharply on whether the Russian plane was in Turkish airspace when it was shot down, as well as whether any warnings went out to the crew. The incident left one pilot dead; another was rescued.
After days of tough talk in the wake of the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan struck a more conciliatory tone Saturday, saying that his government was “really saddened” by the matter, and insisting that he did not want to ramp up tensions.
“We wouldn’t have wished this to happen. But, unfortunately, it did,” he said at an event in Balikesir.
“We hope that the tensions with Russia will not grow and result in more saddening incidents.”
However, his comments fell short of the apology Moscow has demanded.
By contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Turkey of trying to bring its relations with Russia to a “dead end,” calling the shootdown “a stab in the back” and tying Turkey to terrorists. He has also signed a decree with punitive economic measures aimed at Turkey.
The ordeal has raised questions about international leaders’ ability to come together to combat ISIS, which has taken over swaths of Syria and Iraq and claimed attacks in Europe, Asia and Africa.