Russia Accuses US of Cover-up over IS Oil Smuggling to Turkey

“We consider it wrong because of the unfortunate incident affording to damage our relations, which as a result of years of efforts have gained a solid and strong foundation”, – said the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, responding to a question as Ankara assessed the decree signed by the President of the Russian Federation on the use of special economic measures against Turkey.

“Russia is Turkey’s biggest natural gas supplier but it is not the only one”, Xinhua quoted Erdogan as saying on Saturday.

Turkey says the plane strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings, while furious Moscow insists it did not cross from Syria and has accused Ankara of a planned provocation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with a group of Russian citizens living in Antalya province over the weekend and tried to reassure them that Turkey and Russia will overcome the recent crisis through open communication between the two countries after Ankara shot down a Russian jet at the Syrian border on November 24.

Turkey is seeking to buy additional gas from Qatar and Azerbaijan should Russian supplies decline, he said.

Erdogan this week visited the Gulf country Qatar where he agreed a deal for LNG purchases, while his Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu travelled to energy-rich Azerbaijan.

Erdogan referring to media reports over the suspension of the project, said “It is in fact Turkey that suspended the project a while ago as Russian Federation did not fulfill Ankara’s requirements”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that Turkey will be made to regret the downing of the plane, with the Kremlin announcing sanctions including a ban on the import of some foods and a halt on sales of holiday packages, a major blow to Turkish tourism.

Turkey released three of four Russian ships that it detained this month at a Black Sea port for maritime safety violations, according to data on the website of Port State Control for the Black Sea.

Turkey’s row with Moscow over the downing of a Russian jet over Syria has not affected joint energy projects. We need to continue to talk openly to reduce the differences.

“We are not speaking with their language now. We are patient on this issue”, he said.