Israeli lawmaker Ksenia Svetlova told Sputnik on Thursday she was hoping that Israel and Russia would be able to continue working together and benefiting from the cooperation, including in military sphere, after the tragic incident with Russian Il-20 plane, downed over the Mediterranean Sea.
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2018) Israeli lawmaker Ksenia Svetlova told Sputnik on Thursday she was hoping that Israel and Russia would be able to continue working together and benefiting from the cooperation, including in military sphere, after the tragic incident with Russian Il-20 plane, downed over the Mediterranean Sea.
The Russian Hmeimim airbase had lost contact with the Russian Il-20 military aircraft late on Monday during the attack of four Israeli F-16 aircraft on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the Israeli military deliberately created a dangerous situation by using the Russian aircraft as a shield against Syrian air defense systems. As a result, the Il-20 jet was downed by a missile launched by Syria's S-200 air defense system.
"I hope that a common sense will win and we will indeed find a solution for future cooperation and will continue to share common airspace in a way that will be profitable and beneficial for all ... Israel and Russia are partners and it is important for our good relations to carry on in all spheres, including the military sphere," Svetlova, a member of the centre-left Zionist Union alliance, said.
The lawmaker urged the two states to go back to the existing prior to the incident close coordination and cooperation in all spheres.
Svetlova said she did not believe that Israel should be held accountable for the incident, adding that it was rather the Syrian Armed Forces that were directly involved in the crash.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday that the Israeli military delegation would travel to Moscow on Thursday to share the information on the incident.
