ISTANBUL – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted in local media on Saturday as stating that Turkey had closed its airspace to Russian civilian and military planes travelling to Syria.

The announcement is one of Turkey’s most forceful replies to Russia’s two-month military attack on Ukraine to date. Despite being a member of the Nato defence alliance, Turkey has developed tight connections with Moscow.

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“We blocked Russian military jets, as well as civilian planes, from travelling to Syria. We inquired in March, and they said they had until April “Cavusoglu was cited in Turkish media as stating.

Cavusoglu said he informed his Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov of the decision, who then informed President Vladimir Putin.