The new legislation period for the 64th government of Turkey began on an intense note.

Russian warplane shot down
On November 24, Turkey’s Armed Forces shot down a Russian warplane that violated Turkish airspace. The military said it had warned the jet 10 times before downing it near Syria’s border with Turkey. The Turkish army has released radar footage of the incident that shows the violation. But Russia denies the plane entered Turkish airspace and called the incident an “act of aggression” towards it. Tensions between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin increased further after they blamed each other for aiding terrorist groups in Syria. And later in the week, Putin insisted that Turkey knew the jet it downed was Russian and demanded an apology from Turkey. But Turkish officials said the “downing of jet wasn't an action against any specific country but a step to defend Turkish sovereign territory.”

Diyarbakir Bar head killed
As Turkey dealt with the Russian warplane crisis the whole week, another serious incident took place in the country’s southeast. On Saturday, the head of the Diyarbakir bar association, Tahir Elci, was killed in a shootout between Turkish police and PKK terrorists in the district of Sur in Diyarbakir. Elci was shot dead just after giving a statement opposing terror attacks by the PKK, saying they do great harm to the historical heritage of the Sur region. The PKK prevented an official investigation into the attack. Terrorists attacked the official delegation twice as they tried to attend the scene.

Journalists arrested for aiding terrorism
Between the Russian warplane crisis and Elci’s death, two journalists were arrested on charges of espionage and aiding a terror organisation. The editor-in-chief of Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dundar, and its Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gul were under investigation for publishing material in violation of state security. The newspaper published photographs and video footage that purported to show trucks belonging to the Turkish Intelligence Service, or MIT, allegedly helping to send weapons to Syria. Erdogan said that the trucks were carrying aid to ethnic Turkmens in Syria. Along with the ongoing threat of terror, Turkey also has the Russian jet crisis to deal with in the coming weeks. But whether Ankara and Moscow can resolve the issue is another matter.

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