“We consider this act to be unacceptable and condemn it in the strongest terms. It is another example of the Syrian authorities’ disregard for international norms, peace and security, and human life,” Rasmussen said.

The North Atlantic Council met on Tuesday at Turkey’s request to hold consultations within the framework of Article 4 of the Washington Treaty which states that “the Parties will consult whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

The North Atlantic Council discussed the shooting down of a Turkish aircraft by Syria.

“Our thoughts at this difficult time are with the missing Turkish aircrew, their families and their loved ones,” Rasmussen added in a statement.

Meanwhile, President Abdullah Gul said today the shooting down of an unarmed Turkish plane by Syria shows the level of paranoia that has gripped the country’s armed forces, according to Hurriyet daily news. 

Gül spoke during the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit in Istanbul, where he said Turkey would not tolerate the downing of its plane by Syria.

Syria shot down a Turkish military jet on June 22, escalating tensions between the two countries.

On the other hand, Syria insists that the Turkish aircraft violated its airspace on Friday.

But Turkey says that although the  jet had violated  Syria’s airspace, it was in international airspace when it was shot down.

Erdogan said Syria shot down the unarmed plane in international airspace in a “hostile” act and without warning.

He said border violations in the region were not uncommon, and claimed that Syrian helicopters violated Turkish airspace five times recently, without Turkish response, according to Al Jazeera. 

Davutoglu said onn state-run TRT TV the plane entered Syrian airspace on June 22, but quickly left when warned by Turkey noting that the fighter jet ”was hit when it was a distance of 13 miles from the Syrian coast”.

He added that the jet was on a training mission, and “not involved in any operation against Syria”. It was testing Turkey’s own radar and defence systems, he said, according to AP.

“The plane was not hiding its identity and could be seen by all,” Davutoglu said.

Syria said late on Saturday that they realized the plane belonged to Turkey after it was downed and that the aircraft had violated its airspace.

In a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday, Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s foreign minister,  hoped that the issue would be solved in light of prudence and dialogue. He hoped that peace and stability would be maintained in the region in light of peaceful settlement of the issue, according to a statement on the Iranian foreign ministry website. 

Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, said it is not possible to ignore the fact that Syria shot down one of its fighter jets.

“When you take in to account the speeds at which jet planes travel over the sea, it is routine for planes to go in and out of borders,” he was quoted as saying by Anatolia.

“It is something that happens without bad intentions and that happens due to the high speeds.”

Gul confirmed yesterday that it had been in contact with Damascus and a search operation for the jet and missing pilots was under way.

Turkey has sided with nations such as the US in saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step down after he responded violently to pro-democracy protests inspired by popular upheavals elsewhere in the Arab world.

Ankara has previously hinted the possibility of setting up some kind of humanitarian corridor inside Syria, which would require military intervention, but has said it would take no such action without UN Security Council approval.

“When you take in to account the speeds at which jet planes travel over the sea, it is routine for planes to go in and out of borders,” he was quoted as saying by Anatolia.

“It is something that happens without bad intentions and that happens due to the high speeds.”

However, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said today it was not possible to ignore the fact that Syria had shot down a Turkish fighter jet and said everything that needed to be done following the incident would be done, according to Hurriyet daily news.

“It is not possible to cover something like this up. Whatever needs to be done will be done, without a doubt,” he said.

Gul also said Ankara had been in contact with Damascus and that an operation to search for the plane and missing pilots was still under way.

Turkey has sided with nations such as the US in saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step down after he responded violently to pro-democracy protests inspired by popular upheavals elsewhere in the Arab world.

Turkey also has set up refugee camps on its border for more than 32,000 Syrians who have fled the fighting.

Ankara has previously hinted the possibility of setting up some kind of humanitarian corridor inside Syria, which would entail military intervention, but has said it would take no such action without UN Security Council approval.