Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is urging Russia and Turkey to show restraint after a Russian fighter jet was shot down near the Turkey-Syrian border, saying it was important the situation did not escalate tensions in the highly charged region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the incident as a "stab in the back" from Turkey and said it would have serious consequences for Moscow's relationship with Anakara.
"Today's loss is linked to a stab in the back delivered to us by accomplices of terrorists. I cannot qualify what happened today as anything else," President Putin said.
"Our plane was shot down on Syrian territory by an air-to-air missile from an F-16. It fell on Syrian territory 4 kilometres from the Turkish border. It was flying at 6000 metres 1 kilometre from Turkish territory when it was attacked."
"We will, of course, analyse everything that happened and today's tragic events will have serious consequences for Russo-Turkish relations."
A radar track released by the Turkish military purports to show the downed Russian Su-24 fighter passing over Turkish territory before it was shot down.
Ms Bishop called for restraint and said it was important the situation did not escalate.
"We are concerned about the incident where a Russian aircraft was shot down in the Syrian-Turkish border area, and we ask relevant parties to exercise restraint," Ms Bishop said in a statement.
"It is important that this incident does not lead to an escalation of conflict in a highly charged regional situation," the Minister said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said restraint was "essential" and said the "force of arms" would not be enough to result in lasting peace in the region.
"It is an especially difficult area but notwithstanding this incident, this incident with the Russian plane being shot down, I think there remains strong momentum to a political resolution or at least to seek to get there," he said.
"Because frankly unless you get there there will be no resolution, the force of arms is not enough to resolve the situation."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the downing of the fighter jet highlighted the danger Australian airforce personnel are in.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we need to have better communication between the people who are sending their warplanes into northern Syria," he said.
"Our Australian airforce are dealing in a very dangerous area, now they're highly trained, they've got very clear rules of engagement, our equipment is amongst the best in the world but our Australian airforce personnel are heading in hazardous space, there can be no doubt about that."
Mr Shorten backed a diplomatic solution and not further individual military interventions which he said could create more problems.
"It highlights the need for us to hasten slowly and also to ensure that we have proper international talks about resolving it. Airplanes alone are not going to solve these problems."
with Reuters
