Erdogan: I’ll resign if Putin proves we shot down plane to protect ISIS oil trade
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he would resign if Russia could prove that Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in order to protect its oil trade with Islamic State.
Erdogan’s comments, made to reporters at the UN climate summit in Paris, came in response to allegations made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Putin, who has signed a decree imposing economic sanctions on Turkey over the incident, said on Monday Turkey shot down the Russian jet because it wanted to protect supplies of oil from Islamic State militants.
“As soon as such a claim is proved, the nobility of our nation requires [me] to do this,” CNN quoted Erdogan as telling reporters at the climate change summit in Paris on Monday.
Erdogan added, however, that should the claims prove to be false, Putin should be the one to step down.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on Tuesday for the opening of communication channels between Turkey and Russia to prevent incidents like the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish jets along the Syrian border last week.
Putin and Erdogan did not meet at Monday’s summit in Paris which Erdogan had described as an opportunity to mend shattered ties between the two countries.