Turkey fails to back claims that seized Syrian A-380 carried illegal cargo

A Syrian A320 Airbus, forced down by Turkish F-16s to Ankara's Esenboga airport, had no arms or illegal cargo aboard, says Russia's foreign minister, which Turkey has failed to deny after making initial claims to the contrary.

A Turkish diplomat told Moscow's Interfax news agency that officials were still investigating and would contact Russia when they finished the inquiry.

After the seizure Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the cargo seized contained "equipment and ammunition".

Syria's Foreign Ministry challenged the Turks to publicly display the "equipment and ammunition".

The aircraft flying from Moscow to Damascus with 35 passengers (capacity: 180), resumed its flight Damascus, but Russia and Syria protesting the Turkish actions. Russia demanded a further explanation, and Syria said it would file a formal complaint with international aviation authorities.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the aircraft was carrying electronic components for a radar station, and that such equipment fell within the bounds of international agreements.

"We have no secrets," said Mr Lavrov. "We have studied the situation: there were no weapons on this airplane. On the airplane there was cargo, which a legal Russian shipper sent via legal means to a legal customer."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been fighting a 19-month-old rebellion and hundreds of thousands of refugees have moved to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

The Turks back the insurgents, who have operated from Turkey and have secured swaths of Syrian territory along the Turkish border, which has prompted Syrian shelling in response, which has killed a number of Turkish civilians.

Both countries have banned overflights of each other's territory.

The Turkish parliament gave consent to military attacks on Syrian territory for one year, reported RRT News, adding that Turkey has since moved tanks and anti-aircraft batteries to the border.

Damascus alleges that rebels are using Turkey as a base for launching attacks on Syrian military installations.