Russia says Erdogan, his kin involved in ISIS oil business

Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday it had proof that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his family were benefiting from the illegal smuggling of oil from Islamic State-held territory in Syria and Iraq.

Moscow and Ankara have been locked in a war of words since last week when a Turkish Air Force jet shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian-Turkish border, the most serious incident between Russia and a Nato state in half-a-century.

Mr Erdogan responded by saying no one had the right to “slander” Turkey by accusing it of buying oil from the Islamic State (ISIS), and that he would stand down if such allegations were proven to be true. But speaking during a visit to Qatar, he also said he did not want relations with Moscow to worsen further.

At a briefing in Moscow, defense ministry officials displayed satellite images which they said showed columns of tanker trucks loading with oil at installations controlled by the ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and then crossing the border into neighbouring Turkey.

The officials did not specify what direct evidence they had of the involvement of Mr Erdogan and his family, an allegation that the Turkish President has vehemently denied.

“Turkey is the main consumer of the oil stolen from its rightful owners, Syria and Iraq. According to information we’ve received, the senior political leadership of the country — President Erdogan and his family — are involved in this criminal business,” said deputy defence minister Anatoly Antonov.

“In the West, no one has asked questions about the fact that the Turkish President’s son heads one of the biggest energy companies, or that his son-in-law has been appointed energy minister. What a marvelous family business!” Mr Erdogan last week denied that Turkey procures oil from anything other than legitimate sources.