Bulgaria and its allies in NATO and the EU are interested in fast de-escalation of the tensions resulting from the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish Air Force, the government in Sofia said on Wednesday.

“Solutions must be sought on a bilateral basis through active contacts between Moscow and Ankara,” the cabinet said in a statement following a session of “competent authorities” chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Rumyana Bachvarova.

The meeting also discussed the conclusions of Tuesday’s meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels called over the incident.