While Russia says it is targeting ISIL, many of its air strikes have been against other Assad opponents, including groups actively supported by Turkey. “Turkey will not collapse because of your imports of $1 billion”.
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R ussian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ankara of shooting down a Russian warplane to protect supplies of oil from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group to Turkey.
“The immoral side of this issue is involving my family in the affair”.
“The cynicism of the Turkish leadership knows no limits”.
On the sidelines of a global climate change conference near Paris on Monday, Putin said the downing of the plane was a “huge mistake”.
It had a message it wanted the whole world to hear: that the faces of Turkey’s leaders, including President Erdogan, were “smeared with stolen oil”. The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday released an array of satellite and aerial images which it said show hundreds of oil trucks streaming across the border.
But, from what I could tell, no evidence was presented to implicate the Turkish president. Their strong language reflects their president’s conviction that Turkey has “stabbed Russian Federation in the back”.
It is the latest in a series of accusations linking Turkey and oil smuggling by IS, which overran large parts of Iraq past year and also holds major territory in neighbouring Syria.
The trucks, it said, travelled to three locations – including refineries – in Turkey and some was then moved on to a third country.
Mr Erdogan said “a famous Russian chess player” was also involved in the oil business with IS, without giving a name.
Erdogan responded by saying no one had the right to “slander” Turkey by accusing it of buying oil from Islamic State, and that he would stand down if such allegations were proven to be true.
The official said it would take at least 1,000 trucks to smuggle enough oil across the border to make a difference in Turkey’s economy.
The Turkish authorities have made commitments to tackle smuggling on their territory.
Early reports said Moscow has halted talks on the joint Turkish stream pipeline project, which was agreed upon in December 2014 to pump gas to Ankara and Europe via the Black Sea.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”.
Lavrov said he “heard nothing new” from Cavusoglu. Turkey insists the aircraft violated its airspace despite repeated warnings.
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Funeral ceremonies have been taking place for Oleg Peshkov, the plane’s pilot who Russian Federation said was shot dead after parachuting from the jet.
