Special to WorldTribune.com

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Nov. 30 said he would resign if Russian President Vladimir Putin could prove Turkey was protecting its oil commerce with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL).

“I will say something very strong here,” Erdogan, in Paris for the climate change summit, told state-run Anatolia news agency, “if such a thing is proven, the nobility of our nation would require that I would not stay in office.”

Despite calls from other nations for the two to mend ties, Erdogan and Putin did not meet at the Paris summit.

Putin had alleged on Nov. 30 that Moscow had data that showed “Islamic State oil…enters the territory of Turkey,” and that Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian Su-24 on Nov. 24 “was dictated specifically by a desire to defend supplies.”

Turkey said it downed the Russian jet after its crew ignored 10 warnings to leave Turkish airspace. The Erdogan government has said Putin’s accusation amounted to slander.

Erdogan went on to say on Nov. 30 that if the claims prove to be false, Putin should be the one to step down.

“And I tell Mr Putin: Would you stay in that office? I say this clearly.”

“We are not dishonest so as to do this kind of exchange with terrorist groups. Everyone needs to know this,” Erdogan said.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Dec. 1 called for the opening of communication channels between Turkey and Russia to prevent a repeat of the Su-24 incident.

“Our call to Russia again is to open military communication channels to prevent similar incidents happening. Let’s keep diplomatic channels open,” Davutoglu said.

  Ahmet Davutoglu, Putin charges Turkey’s Erdogan facilitating ISIL’s oil trade, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Su-24 shot down, Vladimir Putin, WorldTribune.com