DUSHANBE, December 4, 2015, Asia-Plus -- Daily Sabah , an English-language daily published in Turkey, reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on December 3 that Turkey has proof that Russia was involved in illegal oil trade with the terrorist organization Daesh (an Arabic acronym of al-Dawla al-Islamiya fil Iraq wa al-Sham, which translates to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Syria, countering Russian allegations that Ankara was importing oil from the terrorists.

The Russian defense ministry on December 2 accused Erdogan and his family of involvement in the illegal oil trade with Daesh after Ankara''s downing of one of Moscow''s warplanes last month which plunged the two countries'' relations into a crisis.

“In recent days a fashion led by Russia has emerged. Actually, Russia does not believe this either,” said Erdogan, referring to the alleged oil trade with Daesh. 

“Look, Russia has to prove that the Turkish republic buys oil from Daesh, otherwise this is a slander,” he said, while repeating that he would resign if Russia was able to prove their claim.

“Who buys oil from Daesh? Let me say it.  George Haswani, holder of a Russian passport and a Syrian national, is one of the biggest merchants in this business,” Erdogan said. 

According to Daily Sabah , the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Haswani in November, who was also placed on the European Union sanctions list, for serving as a middleman for oil purchases by the Syrian regime from the Daesh group.

Erdogan said “a famous Russian chess player” was also involved in the oil business with Daesh, without giving a name.  “He''s also in this race,” he said.

The new US sanctions also apply to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a wealthy Russian businessman and long-standing president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) who was formerly president of the southern Russian region of Kalmykia, Daily Sabah reports.