Russia and UK to cooperate in analysing the black box retrieved from downed Russian warplane
Russia has sought assistance from the United Kingdom to analyse the black box of a Russian warplane two weeks after it was downed by Turkey in November. The downing of the warplane has seriously jeopardised Turkey’s relationship with Moscow, though Turkish Minister Ahmet Davutoglu offered to cooperate with Russia so as to avoid repeating such incidents.
“Vladimir Putin invited British specialists to take part in decoding flight data recorders of the downed Su-24,” the Kremlin announced after the phone talks with Cameron.
Cameron's office said it would “consider President Putin's request to send British experts to assist the investigation.”
Putin said that international experts have been invited to analyse the black box flight data, so that the results can be relied upon by all sides involved in the conflict. Turkey had asserted that the warplane was shot down as it violated the Turkish airspace, a claim that has been vehemently denied by Russia. Moscow believed that investigation of the data from the black box would be able to prove its claims.
Putin was shown the orange-painted box retrieved from the plane by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday during a televised meeting on Tuesday. The data from the box would give details on the plane’s flight path and position, which is being furiously debated by both the countries.
Putin thanked Syrian government troops and Russian special services for retrieving it and said it would play a cardinal role in ascertaining the location of the plane when it was hit.
Kremlin said Cameron has expressed his deep condolences over the downing of the warplane.
“It has been noted that Russia and Britain have similar approaches regarding the threat from ISIL and other terrorist groups operating in the region,” the Kremlin said in a statement (via Sky News), referring to the Islamic State (IS) group.
UK has also started bombing campaigns in Syria last week. Cameron’s office said that the prime minister had called Putin to update him on the airstrikes.
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