Turkey: Russia’s IS oil claims ‘slander’

At a briefing in Moscow, defence ministry officials displayed satellite images which they said showed columns of tanker trucks loading with oil at installations controlled by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and then crossing the border into neighbouring Turkey.

“Turkey is the main destination for the oil stolen from its legitimate owners, which are Syria and Iraq”.

The briefing did not actually provide hard evidence linking Erdoğan to the illegal oil trade, but Antonov insinuated that the connection involves his son, Bilal Erdoğan, an executive with a shipping company, and his son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, the country’s energy minister.

“It is not possible to explain Russia’s allegations by reason”, the Turkish Prime Minister said, adding that Russian Federation is violating global law over the “economic sanctions” it imposed on Turkish businesses. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuted Russia’s “baseless” claims and said he would “quit” if the allegations were proven.

Russia’s accusation of links between ISIS and the Turkish government at the highest level come after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane that Ankara says encroached its airspace on November 24.

Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State apparently get their money through USA “allies”, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

“Over the past week alone, up to 2,000 militants, more than 120 tons of ammunition and some 250 units of vehicles of various applications have been redeployed from Turkish territory to the detachments of ISIL (former name of Islamic State terrorist organization) and Jabhat al-Nusra”, he said.

The ministry said the Western route took oil produced at fields near the Syrian city of Raqqa to the settlement of Azaz on the border with Turkey. If they do I would not remain on the presidential seat for one minute. However, Russia’s Defense Ministry has said the Su-24M plane stayed exclusively over the Syrian territory and “there was no violation of the Turkish air space”. “We know the price ofErdogan’s words…”

Erdogan has rejected Putin’s demands to apologise over the incident, saying that Turkey was acting well within its rights to protect its border.

“We will meet with the Turkish minister of foreign affairs, we will hear what he has to say”, Lavrov said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart in Nicosia. “After two months of Russian airstrikes their income was about $1.5 million a day”, Lt.-General Rudskoy said.

The allegation has been referred to time and again ever since, including in Paris on Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a climate change summit.