Turkey to hand over body of dead Russian pilot to Moscow: PM

The body of a Russian pilot killed when his plane was shot down by Turkey last week will be handed over to a Russian representative, Ahmet Davutoglu said.

Ankara: The body of a Russian pilot killed when his plane was shot down by Turkey last week will be handed over to a Russian representative after being retrieved from Syria, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Sunday.

"The pilot who lost his life during the air violation was received by us on the (Syrian) border last night," Davutoglu told reporters in Istanbul before leaving for a meeting with EU leaders in Brussels. 

Davutoglu added that a Russian official would "soon" travel to the southern Hatay region on Sunday with a Turkish military official to take possession of the body.