Turkish PM calls Daesh oil claims 'Soviet lies'

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lashed out Thursday at Russian claims that Turkey has been allegedly purchasing oil from Daesh, calling them "Soviet lies".

Relations between Ankara and Moscow have considerably deteriorated since Turkey downed a Russian jet on Nov.24.

"There was a Soviet propaganda machine during the Cold War which produced several lies that they believed first then expected the world to do so," he said Thursday in a press conference at Esenboga Airport in Ankara before his departure for Azerbaijan.

After an intruding Russian SU-24 was shot down by Turkish F-16s near the Syrian border when it ignored a total of ten warnings in five minutes, Moscow announced a series of economic sanctions against Ankara and Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged Turkish involvement in oil purchases from Daesh.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged Putin and said he will step down if Russian claims that Turkey buys oil from Daesh are proved. He called on Putin to do the same if they are not.

Davutoglu maintained that the Russian characteristics dating back to the Soviet era which were thought to have disappeared after the Cold War have been "re-emerging one by one".

He namely targeted the proxy wars the Soviet Union used to take part in, "in areas that did not concern them", as well as the "Soviet propaganda machine" that would "whitewash problems".

"No one will give credit to the lies of the Soviet propaganda machine," he added.

The Turkish premier said it was out of question for Turkey to engage in oil trade with Daesh as he highlighted that the Turkish-Syrian borderline was constantly monitored by the international community.

"It is unbelievable even to discuss it. There is no real ground to mention a secret and dirty deal in a region where several states in the international coalition conduct flights [...] over there every single day," he said.

Davutoglu reiterated that Turkey ethically does not resort to such deals, stressing that Moscow had no solid ground to prove the claims.

"But on the contrary, there are tens of evidence to prove the dirty ties of Daesh with the Syrian regime and the slaughters that they conduct in cooperation with the regime against the moderate opposition and the civilian people," he said.

He stressed that the supporters of the Syrian regime are also the supporters of Daesh, "as the main source, which creates the conditions that foster Daesh, is the Syrian regime."

"As long as the Syrian regime exists, it means there will be a place for terrorist circles to develop in Syria," he said.