Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his family are “involved” in ISIS’ illegal oil trade and personally benefit from it, Russian Federation alleged Wednesday. “According to available information, the highest level of the political leadership of the country, President Erdogan and his family, are involved in this criminal business”, deputy defense minister Anatoly Antonov said yesterday.
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“Maybe I’m speaking too bluntly, but the control over that thievish business could only be given to the closest people”, Antonov said, adding that Erdogan’s son heads a top energy company and his son-in-law has been named Turkey’s energy minister.
“What a fantastic family business”, he said, claiming that “terrorists” in Syria make some $2 billion (1.9 billion euros) each year out of the illegal oil trade.
While Obama is said to have reiterated the United States’ support for de-escalation between Russian Federation and Turkey, Obama also “reiterated his belief that it will be necessary for Bashar al-Assad to leave power as a part of the transition, and stressed the imperative of focusing military efforts against ISIL, as our worldwide coalition is doing, rather than targeting moderate opposition”, as Obama claims Russian Federation is doing.
The shooting down by Turkish fighter jets of a Russian warplane on the Syrian border on 24 November plunged relations between Moscow and Ankara into their biggest crisis since the Cold War. But he stressed Russian Federation and Turkey should “de-escalate” their row to resolve the issue and focus instead on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the real enemy.
“Turkey is taking steps to improve the security of its border with Syria, working with global partners”.
Turkish leaders have in recent days shown signs of seeking to limit the damage to ties. Then, in Paris this week, he increased the rhetoric: “We have every reason to believe that the decision to shoot down our aircraft was dictated by the desire to ensure the safety of supply routes of oil to Turkey, to the ports where they are shipped in tankers”.
The U.S. on Wednesday sharply refuted Russian allegations that Turkey is facilitating Daesh oil sales.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said on Wednesday that he would not refuse an invitation to meet his Turkish counterpart in Belgrade later this week. It is considered to be the most serious incident between Russian Federation and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation state in half a century.
The ministry said the Western route took oil produced at fields near the Syrian city of Raqqa to the settlement of Azaz on the border with Turkey.
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“Of course, this is not going to go down at all well in Ankara”, he said. “We will continue to provide more evidence to show how Turkey is plundering its neighbors”, he promised.
