Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Russian Federation has evidence that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are directly linked to ISIS’ oil operations, reported BBC.
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Antonov alleges the country’s top political leadership, including President Erdogan and his family, is involved in the illegal business.
“Maybe I’m being too blunt, but one can only entrust control over this thieving business to one’s closest associates”, he said.
Antonov pointed the finger at the recent appointment of Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak as energy minister and alleged that the president’s son runs one of the country’s main energy companies.
“What a marvelous family business!” said Antonov sarcastically.
Erdogan countered the Russian claims to ISIS links, saying: “I will resign if Moscow’s claims are proven true because the nobility of our nation requires me to do this”.
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Russia met Thursday on the sidelines of an worldwide gathering in Belgrade, an official said, in the first high-level bilateral talks since the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish jets sparked an unprecedented crisis.
He said the Government is taking active steps to prevent fuel smuggling, and he challenged anyone who accused his government of collaborating with ISIS to prove their allegations.
Earlier Sergei Rudskoi, a deputy chief of staff of the Russian armed forces, said that they has uncovered three principal routes of oil transportation from Islamic State in Syria to Turkish territory.
Russian Federation has hit 32 oil complexes, 11 refineries, 23 oil pumping stations, and destroyed 1,080 trucks carrying oil products, according to Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy.
And while Turkey’s efforts might only put a dent in one portion of Islamic State funding, USA officials say any defensive action by Erdoğan would be better than nothing.
“We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists”.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has called for a broad global front against terrorism and accused Turkey of trading oil with the so-called Islamic State group.
The Defence Ministry added it would continue to launch air strikes on ISIS oil infrastructure in Syria as part of its bombing campaign.
The video shows vehicles, which are freely crossing of the border.
A war plane crashes in flames in a mountainous area in northern Syria after it was shot down by Turkish fighter jets near the Turkish-Syrian border on Nov 24, 2015.
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On Monday, Erdogan said that he would leave office if there was proof of Turkey’s cooperation in the oil trade with IS.
