Russia considered the downing of a Turkish jet by Syria a non provocative action, urging all nations to tone down their rhetoric over the incident which took place last week.

Russia considered the downing of a Turkish jet by Syria a non provocative action, urging all nations to tone down their rhetoric over the incident which took place last week.

"We believe it is important that the incident is not viewed as a provocation or an intentional action, and that it does not lead to destabilizing the situation," Russia’s foreign ministry said in its first comment on Friday's Phantom 4 jet downing.

"The escalation of political propaganda -- including on the international level -- is especially dangerous when there are efforts under way to mobilize all influential outside players" in arranging a lasting peace process.

The statement was issued only moments after Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had accepted an invitation to attend an international meeting on the conflict in Geneva on Saturday.

The statement urged all sides to exercise "restraint" and for Turkey and Syria to establish direct dialogue that could help avoid a potential military escalation between the two neighbors.
"We believe that the best line of conduct in this situation is restraint and constructive cooperation between Turkey and Syria aimed at clearing up all the circumstances of the incident and preventing such tragic events from happening again," the ministry statement said.