Baku-APA. Russia on Monday lashed out after a Swiss warplane flew "dangerously close" to one of its passenger jets carrying a senior parliamentary delegation, although Switzerland defended it as a routine check, APA reports quoting AFP.
The incident, which took place on Monday morning, initially sparked a diplomatic spat between Moscow and Paris after the Russian foreign ministry claimed it was a French military jet and summoned France's envoy for an explanation.
Moscow later acknowledged the error and apologised to Paris through diplomatic channels.
The Swiss defence ministry confirmed the incident, saying one of its F-18 warplanes had approached the Russian craft for "a routine check".
On board the Russian plane was a parliamentary delegation headed by Russian State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin who was en route to a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, the Russian foreign ministry said.
Swiss defence ministry spokesman Peter Minder told AFP the incident had taken place in Swiss airspace over the city of Bienne, also called Biel or Bienna.
"It was a normal check by the Swiss air force... a close check," he said.
"We made visual contact with the pilot and noted the registration. Everything was in order. It was a verification, a routine check."
Under terms of an agreement linked to the protection of Geneva, Switzerland has permission to fly over the skies of eastern France, the French foreign ministry said.
Russia had initially blamed France, with the foreign ministry in Moscow saying it had summoned French envoy Jean-Maurice Ripert to "give an explanation" for the incident.
"The ambassador was made aware of Russia's deep concern over what happened," it said.
"Actions like these by Paris undermine the possibility of using France as a place for multilateral meetings and talks."
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