Russia Says Turkey’s Erdogan & Family Involved in Illegal ISIS Oil Trade
2 Dec, 2015 19:16
Rt.com
Turkey is the main consumer of oil smuggled by Islamic State from Syria and Iraq, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are involved in the criminal business, Russia’s Defense Ministry has сlaimed.
“We are absolutely convinced… that the final destination of the stolen oil is Turkey,” said Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, as he presented proof concerning the illegal oil trade by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Ankara’s ties to it.
“According to our data, the political leadership of the country [Turkey], including President Erdogan and his family, is involved in this criminal business,” Antonov told the journalists in Moscow.
The deputy minister pointed out that Russia had warned about “the danger of flirting with terrorists” on numerous occasions, saying Ankara’s actions were “adding fuel to the fire.”
“A united team of criminals and Turkish elites, involved in stealing oil from its neighbors, is acting in the region. This oil in being supplied to Turkey on a large industrial scale via improvised pipelines composed of thousands of oil truck tankers,” he said.
Despite the evidence presented by Russia, Erdogan is unlikely to keep his promise to resign if his links with Islamic State and illegal oil trade are proven, Antonov said.
“The Turkish leadership, particularly Erdogan, won’t resign and won’t acknowledge anything even if their faces will be smeared with the stolen oil,” he stressed.
“We know the true value of Erdogan’s word. He has already been caught lying by Turkish journalists, who uncovered supplies of arms and ammunition to the terrorists by Turkey under the guise of humanitarian convoys. For doing this, the journalists were jailed,” deputy defense minister said.
Antonov explained his “harsh” tone by saying that “our guys were killed at the hands of the Turkish military,” referring to the downing of Russia’s S-24 jet by the Turkish Air Force last week, which led to the death of one of the pilots and a marine from the rescue team.
The deputy minister stressed that the release of evidence by the Russian military wasn’t aimed at forcing the Turkish president to abandon his post.
“I emphasize that Erdogan’s resignation isn’t our goal. It’s for the people of Turkey to decide. Our goal… is to curb the sources of funding of terrorism by joint actions,” he explained.
Antonov promised that Russia will “continue to provide evidence of Turkey’s plunder of its neighbors.”
He also said that Russia is aware of three main smuggling routes used by IS to deliver oil to its final destination in Turkey, providing satellite images to back his claims.
Erdogan said that no one had the right to “slander” Turkey by accusing it of buying oil from Islamic State and reminding him of his promise to step down.
The Turkish president, who was speaking at a university in the Qatari capital of Doha, added that he didn’t want relations with Moscow to deteriorate even further, Reuters reported.
On Monday, Erdogan said that he would leave office if there was proof of Turkey’s cooperation in the oil trade with IS.
“We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have, in fact, done so, I will leave office. If there is any evidence, let them present it, we’ll consider [it],” he said, as quoted by TASS.
Russia presents proof of Turkey’s role in ISIS oil trade
2 Dec, 2015 12:26
The Russian Defense Ministry held a major briefing on new findings concerning IS funding in Moscow on Wednesday.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, Russia is aware of three main oil smuggling routes to Turkey.
“Today, we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors is operating in the region,” Antonov said, adding that this oil “in large quantities” enters the territory of Turkey via “live oil pipelines,” consisting of thousands of oil trucks.
Antonov added that Turkey is the main buyer of smuggled oil coming from Iraq and Syria.
“According to our data, the top political leadership of the country - President Erdogan and his family – is involved in this criminal business.”
However, since the start of Russia’s anti-terrorist operation in Syria on September 30, the income of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants from illegal oil smuggling has been significantly reduced, the ministry said.
“The income of this terrorist organization was about $3 million per day. After two months of Russian airstrikes their income was about $1.5 million a day,” Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy said.
At the briefing the ministry presented photos of oil trucks, videos of airstrikes on IS oil storage facilities and maps detailing the movement of smuggled oil. More evidence is to be published on the ministry's website in the coming says, Rudskoy said.
The US-led coalition is not bombing IS oil trucks, Rudskoy said.
For the past two months, Russia’s airstrikes hit 32 oil complexes, 11 refineries, 23 oil pumping stations, Rudskoy said, adding that the Russian military had also destroyed 1,080 trucks carrying oil products.
“These [airstrikes] helped reduce the trade of the oil illegally extracted on the Syrian territory by almost 50 percent.”
Up to 2,000 fighters, 120 tons of ammunition and 250 vehicles have been delivered to Islamic State and Al-Nusra militants from Turkish territory, chief of National Centre for State Defense Control Lt.Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev said.
“According to reliable intelligence reports, the Turkish side has been taking such actions for a long time and on a regular basis. And most importantly, it is not planning to stop them.”
“One thing is clear. The role that Turkey is playing in this area is in many ways destructive and it’s affecting the European security, it’s affecting its neighbors. Ultimately it’s affecting its own society,” Uzi Arad, former head of research at Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency told RT.
Responding to the Russian allegations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that nobody had a right to “slander” Turkey by accusing it of buying oil from Islamic State.
Speaking at a university in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Wednesday, Erdogan once again claimed that he would resign if such accusations were proven to be true and stressed that he did not want Turkey’s relations with Russia to deteriorate further.
Following Russian accusations, the US has again defended Turkey, denying any ties between Ankara and Islamic State.
“We flatly reject any notion that the Turks are somehow working with ISIL. Preposterous. And really very, kind of ridiculous,” Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman, said.
He called Turkey “a great partner” to Washington in fighting against IS terrorists in Syrian and Iraq.
“They’re hosting our aircraft. They’re conducting strikes. They’re supporting the moderate Syrian opposition,” Warren explained.
Iraq will immediately file a protest in the UN Security Council if claims that Turkey is illegally purchasing oil from Islamic State terrorists are confirmed, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said.
"If the Iraqi government receives enough evidence and details, without any hesitation it will file a protest at the UN Security Council and all other relevant international bodies," Naseer Nuri, ministry's spokesman, told Sputnik.
According to Nuri, certain “general information about the smuggling of Iraqi oil by trucks to certain countries, including Turkey” is already available.
“This oil is used to fund Daesh (IS)”, he added.
‘No way West was unaware of ISIS-Turkey oil trade’
2 Dec, 2015 17:01
The evidence presented by the Russian Defense Ministry will be “partly ignored and distorted” by Western MSM, says Foreign Affairs Editor Srdja Trifkovic.
“I think that Erdogan will scream ‘blue murder’ and claim that this is all a set-up and a reaction to what he calls ‘justified downing of the Russian plane’. The real issue is what the US will do about this. Because it is quite obvious the Turkish tail has been wagging the American dog for far too long,” he said.
“My hunch is that the US will continue to be reluctant to really do something about it. They have had a chance to do so for 15 months prior to the beginning of the Russian air strikes on September, 25. The question of all questions is whether Erdogan will finally be pressed by his Western partners to shape up and to act like a civilized person, which unfortunately he is not,” Trifkovic told RT.
“I think the first reaction we’re going to see is embarrassment though that might happen behind closed doors. There is no conceivable way that Turkey’s Western allies were unaware of the oil trade between ISIS and Turkey. They have the same satellite and reconnaissance capabilities as the Russians. And they’ve probably known about it longer and in more detail. So, the first reaction will be embarrassment and I think a real scramble to recapture the narratives because this is public now,” said Middle East geopolitics analyst Sharmine Narwani.
Russia is working with the UN Security Council on a draft resolution which aims to curb the illegal oil trade with and by terrorist groups. Commenting on Erdogan’s possible reaction to the move, the expert said he is “a hot head.”
“The thing with Erdogan is that you never know quite what to expect. So, we may see an escalation, we may see de-escalation but it must be face-saving for him, he is a proud arrogant man… I think Erdogan will be a recipient of serious pressure from his NATO and Western allies on this latest Russian revelation,” Narwani added.
Rt.com
Turkey is the main consumer of oil smuggled by Islamic State from Syria and Iraq, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are involved in the criminal business, Russia’s Defense Ministry has сlaimed.
“We are absolutely convinced… that the final destination of the stolen oil is Turkey,” said Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, as he presented proof concerning the illegal oil trade by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Ankara’s ties to it.
“According to our data, the political leadership of the country [Turkey], including President Erdogan and his family, is involved in this criminal business,” Antonov told the journalists in Moscow.
The deputy minister pointed out that Russia had warned about “the danger of flirting with terrorists” on numerous occasions, saying Ankara’s actions were “adding fuel to the fire.”
“A united team of criminals and Turkish elites, involved in stealing oil from its neighbors, is acting in the region. This oil in being supplied to Turkey on a large industrial scale via improvised pipelines composed of thousands of oil truck tankers,” he said.
Despite the evidence presented by Russia, Erdogan is unlikely to keep his promise to resign if his links with Islamic State and illegal oil trade are proven, Antonov said.
“The Turkish leadership, particularly Erdogan, won’t resign and won’t acknowledge anything even if their faces will be smeared with the stolen oil,” he stressed.
“We know the true value of Erdogan’s word. He has already been caught lying by Turkish journalists, who uncovered supplies of arms and ammunition to the terrorists by Turkey under the guise of humanitarian convoys. For doing this, the journalists were jailed,” deputy defense minister said.
Antonov explained his “harsh” tone by saying that “our guys were killed at the hands of the Turkish military,” referring to the downing of Russia’s S-24 jet by the Turkish Air Force last week, which led to the death of one of the pilots and a marine from the rescue team.
The deputy minister stressed that the release of evidence by the Russian military wasn’t aimed at forcing the Turkish president to abandon his post.
“I emphasize that Erdogan’s resignation isn’t our goal. It’s for the people of Turkey to decide. Our goal… is to curb the sources of funding of terrorism by joint actions,” he explained.
Antonov promised that Russia will “continue to provide evidence of Turkey’s plunder of its neighbors.”
He also said that Russia is aware of three main smuggling routes used by IS to deliver oil to its final destination in Turkey, providing satellite images to back his claims.
Erdogan said that no one had the right to “slander” Turkey by accusing it of buying oil from Islamic State and reminding him of his promise to step down.
The Turkish president, who was speaking at a university in the Qatari capital of Doha, added that he didn’t want relations with Moscow to deteriorate even further, Reuters reported.
On Monday, Erdogan said that he would leave office if there was proof of Turkey’s cooperation in the oil trade with IS.
“We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have, in fact, done so, I will leave office. If there is any evidence, let them present it, we’ll consider [it],” he said, as quoted by TASS.
Russia presents proof of Turkey’s role in ISIS oil trade
2 Dec, 2015 12:26
The Russian Defense Ministry held a major briefing on new findings concerning IS funding in Moscow on Wednesday.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, Russia is aware of three main oil smuggling routes to Turkey.
“Today, we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors is operating in the region,” Antonov said, adding that this oil “in large quantities” enters the territory of Turkey via “live oil pipelines,” consisting of thousands of oil trucks.
Antonov added that Turkey is the main buyer of smuggled oil coming from Iraq and Syria.
“According to our data, the top political leadership of the country - President Erdogan and his family – is involved in this criminal business.”
However, since the start of Russia’s anti-terrorist operation in Syria on September 30, the income of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants from illegal oil smuggling has been significantly reduced, the ministry said.
“The income of this terrorist organization was about $3 million per day. After two months of Russian airstrikes their income was about $1.5 million a day,” Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy said.
At the briefing the ministry presented photos of oil trucks, videos of airstrikes on IS oil storage facilities and maps detailing the movement of smuggled oil. More evidence is to be published on the ministry's website in the coming says, Rudskoy said.
The US-led coalition is not bombing IS oil trucks, Rudskoy said.
For the past two months, Russia’s airstrikes hit 32 oil complexes, 11 refineries, 23 oil pumping stations, Rudskoy said, adding that the Russian military had also destroyed 1,080 trucks carrying oil products.
“These [airstrikes] helped reduce the trade of the oil illegally extracted on the Syrian territory by almost 50 percent.”
Up to 2,000 fighters, 120 tons of ammunition and 250 vehicles have been delivered to Islamic State and Al-Nusra militants from Turkish territory, chief of National Centre for State Defense Control Lt.Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev said.
“According to reliable intelligence reports, the Turkish side has been taking such actions for a long time and on a regular basis. And most importantly, it is not planning to stop them.”
“One thing is clear. The role that Turkey is playing in this area is in many ways destructive and it’s affecting the European security, it’s affecting its neighbors. Ultimately it’s affecting its own society,” Uzi Arad, former head of research at Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency told RT.
Responding to the Russian allegations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that nobody had a right to “slander” Turkey by accusing it of buying oil from Islamic State.
Speaking at a university in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Wednesday, Erdogan once again claimed that he would resign if such accusations were proven to be true and stressed that he did not want Turkey’s relations with Russia to deteriorate further.
Following Russian accusations, the US has again defended Turkey, denying any ties between Ankara and Islamic State.
“We flatly reject any notion that the Turks are somehow working with ISIL. Preposterous. And really very, kind of ridiculous,” Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman, said.
He called Turkey “a great partner” to Washington in fighting against IS terrorists in Syrian and Iraq.
“They’re hosting our aircraft. They’re conducting strikes. They’re supporting the moderate Syrian opposition,” Warren explained.
Iraq will immediately file a protest in the UN Security Council if claims that Turkey is illegally purchasing oil from Islamic State terrorists are confirmed, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said.
"If the Iraqi government receives enough evidence and details, without any hesitation it will file a protest at the UN Security Council and all other relevant international bodies," Naseer Nuri, ministry's spokesman, told Sputnik.
According to Nuri, certain “general information about the smuggling of Iraqi oil by trucks to certain countries, including Turkey” is already available.
“This oil is used to fund Daesh (IS)”, he added.
‘No way West was unaware of ISIS-Turkey oil trade’
2 Dec, 2015 17:01
The evidence presented by the Russian Defense Ministry will be “partly ignored and distorted” by Western MSM, says Foreign Affairs Editor Srdja Trifkovic.
“I think that Erdogan will scream ‘blue murder’ and claim that this is all a set-up and a reaction to what he calls ‘justified downing of the Russian plane’. The real issue is what the US will do about this. Because it is quite obvious the Turkish tail has been wagging the American dog for far too long,” he said.
“My hunch is that the US will continue to be reluctant to really do something about it. They have had a chance to do so for 15 months prior to the beginning of the Russian air strikes on September, 25. The question of all questions is whether Erdogan will finally be pressed by his Western partners to shape up and to act like a civilized person, which unfortunately he is not,” Trifkovic told RT.
“I think the first reaction we’re going to see is embarrassment though that might happen behind closed doors. There is no conceivable way that Turkey’s Western allies were unaware of the oil trade between ISIS and Turkey. They have the same satellite and reconnaissance capabilities as the Russians. And they’ve probably known about it longer and in more detail. So, the first reaction will be embarrassment and I think a real scramble to recapture the narratives because this is public now,” said Middle East geopolitics analyst Sharmine Narwani.
Russia is working with the UN Security Council on a draft resolution which aims to curb the illegal oil trade with and by terrorist groups. Commenting on Erdogan’s possible reaction to the move, the expert said he is “a hot head.”
“The thing with Erdogan is that you never know quite what to expect. So, we may see an escalation, we may see de-escalation but it must be face-saving for him, he is a proud arrogant man… I think Erdogan will be a recipient of serious pressure from his NATO and Western allies on this latest Russian revelation,” Narwani added.
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