The Russian defense ministry on Wednesday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of profiting from illegal shipments of oil by IS the terrorist group in Syria.
Advertisement
Russia and Turkey are locked in an angry spat over the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Ankara.
Russian Federation has said Turkey is the biggest buyer of oil smuggled from IS-held territory, accusing Mr Erdogan and his family of direct involvement.
Sergei Rudskoi, the head of the main operational directorate of the Russian General Staff, said earlier on Wednesday that the Defense Ministry had revealed three oil transportation routes from Syria and Iraq into Turkey.
“Turkey is the main consumer of this oil stolen from its legitimate owners – Syria and Iraq”.
“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 Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov told the briefing in Moscow.
ISIS revenue from illegal oil trafficking totals two billion dollars per year, Antonov said, adding that the jihadists use this money “to enlist militants across the world, equipping them with weapons, military equipment and armaments”.
The United States has strongly denied a Russian claim that the Turkish government buys smuggled Syrian oil from the Islamic State jihadist group. “But those who make the claim must also give up their seat if they can’t prove it”.
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday met Erdogan and called on both leaders to end their dispute and focus on fighting IS. Antonov said with sarcasm.
“Maybe I’m being too blunt, but one can only entrust control over this thieving business to one’s closest associates”.
“Allah must have punished Turkey’s ruling clique by depriving it of sense and reason”, he said. The Russian pilot was killed by militants after bailing out from the plane and a Russian marine was also killed on a rescue mission to retrieve a second pilot. Their strong language reflects their president’s conviction that Turkey has “stabbed Russian Federation in the back”.
Erdogan has voiced regret over the incident, but Putin has made it clear that he expects a formal apology.
Lavrov said he would meet Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe meeting of foreign ministers in Belgrade, the Serbian capital.
Advertisement
“We will remind them not once about what they have done, and they will feel sorry about it a couple of times”, he said without spelling out what other actions Russian Federation may take.
