(CNN)Turkey will not apologize for downing a Russian fighter jet it says violated Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an exclusive CNN interview Thursday in Ankara, the Turkish capital.
"I think if there is a party that needs to apologize, it is not us," he said. "Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize. Our pilots and our armed forces, they simply fulfilled their duties, which consisted of responding to ... violations of the rules of engagement. I think this is the essence."
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated after Turkey shot down the Russian warplane, with Erdogan accusing Russia of deceit and Moscow announcing it will deploy anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.
There has been bellicose rhetoric on both sides, missiles are being deployed, and Russia and Turkey have each accused the other of supporting terrorism.
Photos of Russian warplane crash
6 photos: Turkey-Syria border: Russian warplane crashes
Now the economic weapons are being unsheathed.
Russia's Agriculture Ministry announced it is strengthening controls over food and agriculture imports from Turkey. A statement on the Agriculture Ministry website said there would be "additional checks on the border and at production sites in Turkey" in response to what it said were "repeated violations of Russian standards by Turkish producers."
Russia's Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev is quoted on the ministry's website saying that roughly 15% of Turkish agricultural products fail to meet Russian standards.