AKIPRESS.COM - Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said Ankara "will work with Russia and our allies to calm tensions" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, BBC reported.

Writing in the UK's Times newspaper, Mr Davutoglu stressed that fighting Islamic State was the main priority. But he also said Turkey must protect the sovereign territory.

Russia says Turkey's F-16 fighter jet shot down its SU-24 bomber over Syria on Tuesday. Turkey says the bomber violated its airspace.

The plane crashed into a mountainside on in a rebel-held area close to the Turkish border.

One of the two Russian pilots was killed by gunfire as he parachuted from the burning jet. The other pilot was rescued by Russian and Syrian special forces.

Tensions have sharply escalated between the Ankara and Moscow over the incident, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning of "serious consequences".

On Thursday, he also rejected Turkey's claims that it did not know the downed plane was Russian.

Mr Putin was speaking after meeting his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Moscow and pledging closer co-operation against IS militants.