WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Wednesday that Turkey was the main purchaser of oil from Syrian and Iraqi areas occupied by Daesh, and accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of direct involvement in the terrorist group's oil business.
"The only country that could logically be buying from ISIS [Daesh] is them. And the international community, we have known for a while that all those fighters going to join the terrorist group were coming through Turkey and no other country," Ribal al-Assad said.
The NGO director stated that Damascus could not trade oil with Daesh because it would mean giving money to those who seek to take more territory and resources from the Syrian government.
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin in his address to the parliament said Russia was aware who in Turkey was earning money from the stolen oil and recruitment of fighters, adding that no contacts or business with terrorists should be allowed.
