President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Turkey had proof Russia was involved in illegal oil trade with the ISIS group in Syria, countering “immoral” Russian allegations that his own family was importing oil from the jehadists.
“We have the proof in our hands. We will reveal it to the world,” Erdogan said in a televised address in Ankara.
The Russian Defence Ministry on Wednesday accused Erdogan and his family of involvement in the illegal oil trade with ISIS jehadists after Ankara’s downing of one of Moscow’s warplanes last month which plunged the two countries’ relations into a crisis.
“In recent days a fashion led by Russia has emerged. Actually, Russia does not believe this either,” said Erdogan, referring to the alleged oil trade with ISIS group.
“look, Russia has to prove that the Turkish republic buys oil from Daesh, otherwise this is a slander,” he added, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
“The immoral side of this issue is involving my family in the affair,” Erdogan added.
Erdogan repeated that he would resign if Moscow proved the allegation and said it was actually Russians who were involved in oil dealings.
“Who is buying oil (from ISIS)IJ let me say it. George Haswani, holder of a Russian passport and a Syrian national, is one of the biggest merchants in this business,” he said.