We do not yet know how the aircraft came to be shot down. But the reactions in Moscow and Ankara show that this is a serious incident.

I hope that this will not be a setback for the Vienna negotiations on ending the civil war in Syria that have just started.

Much now depends on how Moscow and Ankara respond further. I hope that the two capitals will engage in direct dialogue with one another, and that all parties there call to mind their own responsibility where reactions and counter‑reactions are concerned.