Turkish PM Yildirim calls Medvedev over plane crash

By Sinan Uslu and Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on Monday his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev over the Russian plane which crashed in the Black Sea on Sunday, according to the prime ministry sources.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said Yildirim expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and the people of Russia over the deadly incident. The plane crash killed all 92 people on board.

Yildirim said that the Turkish nation shared the pain of the Russian Federation nation, including those of the families who lost their relatives in this tragic accident.

In a separate note, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu conducted on Monday a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov over the deadly accident.

According to diplomatic sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Cavusoglu extended his condolences to Lavrov over the Tu-154 military transport aircraft's crash near the Russian city of Sochi.

The sources said that Cavusoglu also shared information with Lavrov over his recent visit to Qatar.

The Russian aircraft was en route to Latakia, Syria to perform in a holiday concert when it crashed, killing all 92 people on board, most of them musicians from the Red Army Choir, or Alexandrov Ensemble, as well as nine journalists.