ANKARA, Aug  17, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Turkey warned Moscow to avoid further 
escalations after a Turkish-owned cargo vessel was attacked by the Russian navy 
last weekend, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said Thursday.

 "After the (Russian) intervention, our interlocutors in the Russian 
Federation were warned appropriately to avoid such attempts, which escalate 
tensions in the Black Sea," the Turkish presidency said, breaking a days-long 
silence over the incident.