Spanish PM's plane forced to land in Ankara after technical problem

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, on Sunday after a technical issue was detected en route to Armenia for the European Political Community (EPC) Summit.



The aircraft, an Airbus A310, took off shortly before 4:00 p.m. local time from the Torrejon de Ardoz air base near Madrid, bound for Yerevan, capital of Armenia, according to local media.



Government sources said the technical issue was not serious, but the plane was required to land at the nearest airport in line with aviation safety procedures.

Sanchez and his delegation are expected to stay overnight in Ankara and resume their journey early Monday once the problem has been resolved.



The 8th EPC Summit will be held in Yerevan under the theme "Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe," bringing together leaders from nearly 50 European countries and institutions.