Russia has accused the Recep Tayyip Erdogan of personally benefitting from the illegal oil trade from Iraq “terrorists in Syria”, as it increased its attacks on the Turkish president following Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian jet.
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The officials did not specify what direct evidence they had of the involvement of Erdogan and his family, an allegation that the Turkish president has vehemently denied.
Financial flows from the sale of oil products from Syria not only enriched top military and political leaders of Turkey, but also financed members recruitment as well as arms and munitions purchase of terrorists in Syria, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said at the press briefing.
“We have recently received additional reports that confirm that oil from ISIL-controlled territories is delivered to the territory of Turkey on an industrial scale”, he said, according to TASS news agency. “What a marvelous family business!”, Deputy Defence Minister Antonov added.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that while Turkey has a right to defend itself and its sovereignly, the Turks and Russians should cool down and remember that they have a common enemy – Islamic State.
Antonov added that Turkey was the main consumer of ISIS oil, and cited satellite imagery allegedly showing oil tanker trucks crossing the Syria-Turkey border.
Other Turkish government officials described the claims as baseless, while a senior official from the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan said they were part of a narrative being spun for a Russian domestic audience.
“We will meet with the Turkish minister of foreign affairs, we will hear what he has to say”, Lavrov said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart in Nicosia.
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin also lambasted Turkey, claiming on Monday the country acted to protect a secret illegal oil trade with ISIS.
Last month Russian Federation carried out its first successful tests on a fearsome new anti-satellite missile created to wipe out US space supremacy in the event of war.
Russian Federation released a maps showing alleged ISIL oil trade routes to Turkey.
Stating that Russian citizens overseas did not face discrimination because of the annexation of Crimea, civil war in Ukraine and other incidents, Gudkov said: “So is Nazism reborn in Ukraine or Russia?”
The corpse of the pilot – who has been awarded Russia’s highest honour – was flown back from Turkey after it was taken across the border from Syria.
These oil revenues are used not only to enrich the Turkish leadership but to arm terrorists as well, the General Staff stated. “They went into someone else’s country, they are robbing it without compunction”, Antonov said.
Russia, meanwhile, supports Syrian President Bashar Assad and has bombed his opponents. “If there is another violation we can unfortunately expect repeat of what’s happened”, said Ulgen. Moscow may also suspend work on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, two sources in Russian gas giant Gazprom said.
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“A claim is made through evidence”.
