Russia: Turkish president benefits from oil trade with Islamic State

The border between Turkey and Syria must be sealed to stop illicit oil trade carried out by Daesh terrorists in Syria, but Ankara needs worldwide help to accomplish this task, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday. “They earn around $2 billion annually, spending these funds on hiring militants from around the world and equipping them with weapons, equipment, and arms”, Antonov said.

“President Erdogan and his family are involved in this criminal business”, Antonov said.

A State Department spokesman yesterday admitted that there was a longstanding issue of oil being illegally transported to Turkey from wells in what is now IS territory.

The fierce personal attack on Erdogan reflects the Kremlin’s anger and signals that Russia-Turkey tensions will likely continue to escalate.

In any case, the Russian MOD released additional satellite imagery that it said showed ISIS oil tankers crossing the border from Iraq and Syria into Turkey, adding that this was only the “first part” of its evidence of the Turkey-ISIS relationship and that more will be revealed next week.

“We reject the premise that the Turkish government is in league with ISIL to smuggle oil”.

“Rather than launching a lengthy procedure of investigation, one must take an absolutely obvious step, i.e. close the Turkish-Syrian border”, Lavrov said, stressing that “Turkey’s efforts will not be enough and it will need help”, RIA Novosti reports. British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has backed the Russian version, saying that ISIS oil is sold in other countries and does end up in Turkey. Russian officials mocked this during the presentation, suggesting Erdogan’s face could be covered in stolen oil and he’d still deny it.

However, he says, Russian Federation presented no evidence that Erdogan and his family were involved in such trade. Their strong language reflects their president’s conviction that Turkey has “stabbed Russian Federation in the back”.

Lavrov stressed that Turkey alone will not be able to accomplish this daunting task and Ankara will need worldwide assistance to ensure success and transparency of this mission.

Erdogan has voiced regret over the incident, but Putin has made it clear that he expects a formal apology.

But the Turkish president said he would resign if such allegations were proved.

“As far as the meeting with Turkish Minister [Mevlut] Cavusoglu goes, we are ready to make such a meeting on the sidelines [of the OSCE conference]”, Lavrov told reporters as he arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday.