ISIL may have smuggled oil into Turkey- using donkeys

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may have smuggled oil into Turkey with donkeys carrying it across the border, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Nurettin Canikli told a private TV channel on Monday.

Rejecting allegations in the media that vehicles carrying smuggled ISIL oil crossed Turkish borders, Canikli stated if such thing were detected on Turkey's borders, customs officials would do what was necessary. 

“Such claims have been on the public agenda for 15 days, but there has been no concrete evidence of such a case or name [of a militant]. If anyone has knowledge about this issue, make it public and let the whole world know. This is just a perception operation. Neither a little oil pertaining to ISIL crossing our borders nor any trade with ISIL is a matter of discussion. Maybe small quantities [of oil] could have smuggled into the country on the backs of donkeys, which might have not been noticed. All these are perception operations and disinformation,'' he added. 

Speaking on a news program on private TV channel Kanal 7 on Monday, Canikli responded to various questions concerning the country's agenda. Even though he denied claims of a possible oil trade between Turkey and ISIL, Canikli agreed that “unnoticed oil carried by donkeys could have crossed into the country.” 

Also mentioning the recent truck crisis on the border between Turkey and Iran, Canikli stated: ''We are resolute. We accept the conditions to a certain extent, and then we protect the rights of our own trucks. We believe Iranian trucks will be more affected and that Iran will return to its old practices when the total cost of this crisis is revealed.'' 

Turkey introduced a border crossing fee for Iranian trucks in early October in response to Iran levying $750 on Turkish trucks at border crossings, which it had been charging to compensate for relatively cheaper gas prices in Iran than in Turkey. Following counter moves on both sides, fees for both Turkish and Iranian trucks have been raised to $1,500. Iran has also doubled the fee it has been charging for gas remaining in the fuel tanks of Turkish trucks leaving Iran. 

Afterwards, Turkey started directing Turkish trucks to the Sarp and Türközü border gates on the Turkish-Georgian frontier in order to reduce long waiting hours and avoid high crossing fees on the Iranian borders. As a result, both the number of Iranian and Turkish trucks crossing the border has seen a decrease since then. 

The Iranian Embassy in Ankara later offered a number of solutions to the Turkish side consisting of options which focus on the difference in the price of oil between the two countries in every option. Turkey, however, has not yet responded to the offers.