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Russia accuses Turkey of protecting oil trade with Islamic State

By Ryan Maass
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will reportedly step down from his post if the accusations are proven true, according to Turkish and Russian state media reports. Photo by Gobierno de Chile.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will reportedly step down from his post if the accusations are proven true, according to Turkish and Russian state media reports. Photo by Gobierno de Chile.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Russian government officials are accusing Turkey of shooting down their fighter jet to protect an alleged oil trade with the Islamic State.

Irish Mirror reports Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the matter during the climate change convention held in Paris, calling the Turkish military's decision to shoot down the plane a "huge mistake." The Turkish government has denied it has any ties to the Islamic State, Sunni radical militants also identified as Daesh and by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL.

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"We have all grounds to suspect that the decision to down our plane was motivated by the intention to secure these routes of delivering oil to ports where it is loaded on tankers," Putin told TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency.

In turn, the Turkish government has refused to issue an apology to Russia for shooting down the plane, which killed one of the two pilots. Moscow is responding with economic sanctions against the country.

Russian state media outlet TASS reports Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will resign from his post if the accusations are proven true.

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"If such an allegation is proven, I will no longer sit at this post. I call onto Putin, would you?" Turkish news agency Daily Sabah quotes Erdogan.

Syrian rebels handed over the body of the slain Russian pilot to Turkish authorities on Sunday.

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