Erdogan s claims of Russian complicity with IS mirror allegations made by Moscow against Turkey and its leader in recent days. One element that will complicate the mission is Russia’s now openly confrontational relationship with Turkey. Following the downing of the plane, Putin described the incident as a “stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists”, saying that it will have serious consequences for Russia’s relations with Turkey.
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Mr Lavrov cancelled a scheduled trip to Istanbul on November 25 and urged Russian citizens to avoid any travel to Turkey, a top tourist destination for many Russian tourists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye during their meeting on the sidelines of the COP21 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.
“In the 20th century, when people were not willing to join forces to fight Nazism they had to pay for that with tens of millions of innocent lives”, Putin said.
“That means no shelter to bandits, no double standards, no contacts whatsoever with any terrorist organisations, no attempts to use them for some selfish goals, no criminal, bloody business with terrorists”.
Russian Federation has already banned some Turkish food imports, including selected fruit and vegetables, as part of a wider retaliatory sanctions package.
“We shall remind them many times about what they’ve done, and they will regret what they’ve done for a long time”, he said.
In a televised speech in Ankara Thursday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had “proof” of Russia’s involvement with the Islamic State, adding that he would “reveal it to the world”, according to newswire AFP.
Dramatic footage shows the moment an Islamic State oil truck convoy bursts into flames after being obliterated by a Russian airstrike.
Erdogan last week denied that Turkey procures oil from anything other than legitimate sources.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lashed out Thursday at Russian claims that Turkey has been allegedly purchasing oil from Daesh, calling them “Soviet lies”.
Russian Federation has accused Erdogan and his family of personally profiting from the oil trade with IS, which controls a large chunk of Syrian territory including many oil fields.
“From the Russian point of view, that Turkmen area was a military threat against the Russian airbase in Latakia”, says Akin Unver, an expert at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.
“A number of Russian advisers arrived in Shaayrat weeks ago”, the source said.
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Before dawn on Thursday, British bombers took off from the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus to attack Islamic State targets.
