Turkish Deputy PM dismisses Russia's oil claims as 'nonsense'

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş has denied Russian accusations that Turkey has been buying oil from Daesh.

"This is an obvious slander against the Turkish President. It is nonsense. It is not possible to accept such an accusation," Turkish Deputy PM, speaking at state-run Anadolu Agency's Editor's' Desk in Ankara, said.

Kurtulmuş, who also commented on the deployment of the Turkish Troops in Mosul's Bashiqa region, said that the presence of Turkish soldiers in Mosul was not a move against the Iraqi government.

"We are there to help the Iraqi government in the fight against Daesh. I think this issue is exaggerated. I hope the tension over the deployment of the Turkish troops to provide training for Iraqi troops to fight Daesh will soon be de-escalated," he said.

Kurtulmuş also commented on the nuclear energy issue.

He explained that it is too early to speak with certainty on the future of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project, but declared that Russia is aware that they are not the only player at Turkey's trading door.

"I don't think that Russia will give up Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. But Turkey is not dependent on the technology of any single country. A large number of countries are ready to cover Turkey's demands," he said.