TURKEY ACCUSES RUSSIA OF 'SLANDER' OVER OIL CLAIMS
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) has described Russian claims that Turkey is buying oil from ISIS as 'slander'
Erdogan
has accused Moscow of slander for claiming his country buys oil from
ISIS as the fallout between the two nations over the downed fighter jet
continues to escalate.
Turkey
refused to apologise for the jet's destruction, though conceded in the
face of harsh Russian retaliatory measures it may have acted
'differently' had it known the plane was Russian.
In the aftermath of the incident, Russia accused Turkey of paying ISIS fighters in order to buy oil.
But Erdogan lashed out at the claims, calling them slanderous.
Speaking in Ankara he said: 'They claim Turkey is buying oil from Daesh', using another name for ISIS.
'Shame on you. Those who claim we buy oil from Daesh are obliged to prove it. If not, you are a slanderer.'
He
told France 24: 'They are lies, they are slander. We have never, never
had this kind of commercial relationship with any terror organisation.
They have to prove it, and if they can, Tayyip Erdogan will leave
office.'
Erdogan
also turned on Russia's support of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Russia
further enraged Turkey with the launch of its air campaign in Syria in
September, accusing Moscow of focusing its fire on moderate rebels
rather than ISIS jihadists.
He said: 'Those who carry out a military campaign with the pretext of fighting Daesh are targeting anti-regime opponents.
'You
say you are fighting Daesh. Excuse me, but you are not fighting Daesh.
You are killing our Turkmen kinsmen hand-in-hand with the regime in
order to clear areas north of Latakia.
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