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No evidence of oil smuggling to Turkey

Speaking to reporters after a trip to Azerbaijan, Davutoglu also said the government was considering structural measures to compensate for the economic impact of Russian sanctions and that it could support affected companies in sectors including tourism and agriculture.

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“It is possible to find different suppliers”, Erdogan said in a televised speech, referring to Qatar and Azerbaijan.

Erdogan has remained unapologetic after the plane’s downing despite repeated demands from Putin for an apology as a precondition before talks can resume.

“So when USA officials claim that they do not see oil smuggled by terrorists to Turkey, this is not just dodging the issue, but smacks of a direct patronage and oversight,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to take a tough stance toward Turkey as well, reportedly vowing that Turkey will be made to regret the downing of the plane. Let those in Turkey know it who shot our pilots in the back, who hypocritically tries to justify themselves and their actions and cover up the crimes of terrorists, ” he said.

Moscow deployed long-range air defense missile systems to its base in Syria 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the border with Turkey and slammed an array of economic sanctions on Turkey, including a ban on imports of fruit and vegetables and the sales of tour packages.

But while Satanovsky put the blame for this on President Erdogan, he said there was unlikely to be a change in government in Turkey anytime soon.

Last year Turkey bought 47.6 bln cubic meters of natural gas overseas, of which Russian Federation supplied about 60 percent via existing gas pipelines going directly from shore to shore in the Black Sea.

Turkish officials have also denied Russia’s claims.

According to the ministry, Islamic State oil is transported to Turkey with “hundreds of oil trucks and heavy vehicles moving both to and from the Turkish border”, as ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy said during the presentation.

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If the Russian evidence is not enough, the USA and its allies should look at the footage from their own state-of-the art drones, “the number of which has recently tripled above the Turkish-Syrian border and oil-rich areas controlled by the terrorists, ” he said. “Who cares if you buy it or not?”

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets the press in Nizhny Tagil in the Ural mountains Russia on Wednesday Nov. 25 2015