Turkey’s oil trade deal with IS no surprise – Armenian Turkologist

The reports about Turkey’s oil trade with the Islamic State (ISIS) should not absolutely come as a surprise, an Armenian Turkologist has said, noting that the country is a transit route and an interested side in the oil sale transaction also from Iraq and Syria.

“That’s really obvious, and the international community and the West are aware of that. There have been revelations and publications through different sources,” Levon Hovsepyan told Tert.am, adding that he does not expect any international probe despite Russia’s earlier promise to submit a corresponding request to the United Nations.

“Everything will be within the frames of a political dialogue,” the expert said, sharing his forecasts.
 

Asked to comment on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent statement (expressing his readiness to resign in case the sale deal with the ISIS proves true), Hovsepyan said he doesn’t expect any serious developments.

He said he doesn’t think that Turkey will manage to resolve the trade deal.  “Different sides involved and uninvolved [in the process] pursue their own interest, and that also accounts for the situation today. It isn’t, by and large, advantageous to raise the problem,” he added.

But the expert admitted that Turkey’s move to shoot down the Russian jet is a serious attack deserving an adequate reaction. “It is a problem for not only Russia, but also [Russian President] Vladimir Putin personally,” he said, not ruling out the possibility of military-political problems for Turkey.

The Turkologist said he expects the tension to deepen further, adding that Russia seems to be more inclined to resort to more profound sanctions against Turkey rather than   initiate a dialogue.