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Turkey engaged in illegal trade with Daesh: Analyst

An image grab of aerial footage by Russia that shows lines of Daesh-owned trucks smuggling Syrian oil to Turkey.

Press TV has interviewed Lajos Szaszdi, a political commentator in San Juan, to discuss first-hand accounts by Syrian residents living near the Jabisah oil field outside the northern Syrian town of Shaddadah, who have witnessed members of the Daesh Takfiri group selling oil to Turkey in exchange for weapons.

Szaszdi says this is just another piece of evidence “that Turkey has been colluding with Daesh in the illegal trade of Iraqi and Syrian oil.”

The analyst says the report confirms similar allegations by Moscow against the Ankara government.

Russia has on several occasions released video footage and satellite images showing columns of tanker trucks loading oil at installations controlled by Daesh in Syria and Iraq, before entering neighboring Turkey.

Szaszdi says the Turkish government is seeking to financially exploit the years-long conflict in the Arab country and might even be manipulating the ensuing refugee crisis to its own benefit.

Engaging in illegal trades such as weapons, drugs and human-trafficking are some of the possible ways, the analyst argues, Turkey might be mulling for more financial gains.

He adds that Turkey’s handling of the refugee flow has made it possible for terrorists to enter European countries.

“If we put together the pieces of the puzzle, of what we know, including the allegations by Moscow… then we are seeing that we have a government in Turkey that not only sponsors terrorism in Syria, but is also involved in criminal activities of organized crime in which Daesh is a partner,” he says.

Commenting on the Western agenda to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Szaszdi says Turkey is committed to the American “Assad-must-go” rhetoric, which is aimed at installing a “puppet government” serving Israeli interests in the region.

Szaszdi elaborates on his point by emphasizing that Israel prefers a “defragmented” Syria.

The analyst argues that America is not going to confront Turkey over its policies as Ankara “is a partner with Tel Aviv, is a partner with Riyadh, [and] is a partner with Washington in sponsoring terror in Syria.”


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