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Russia has called for the closure of the Turkish-Syrian border to
prevent the flow of Takfiri militants and weapons supplies into the Arab country. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on countering terrorism on Thursday that UNSC members should impose a
complete trade embargo on Takfiri Daesh terrorists, al-Qeda's Syria branch of al-Nusra front, and other militant groups operating across Syria. He also referred to the
smuggling of Syrian oil and ancient artifacts by militants and said concrete steps are needed to stop such trafficking.
The Russian official accused Turkey of
"complacency or inaction" in allowing weapons and militants to cross into Syria via Turkish soil. Churkin urged the Ankara government
to invite, "on a voluntary basis," international observers to visit its border with Syria.
"If Turkey feels that it is doing everything necessary to curtail the flows of supplies to terrorists, this could be corroborated by independent monitors." Turkey's UN Mission has rejected the remarks by Russian official as
"baseless."
Churkin had in a recent letter to the 15-member council pointed out that millions of dollars worth of
industrial chemicals and explosives were smuggled across Turkey's border to extremist groups in recent years.
In December last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that
Moscow and Washington had agreed that the Turkish border with Syria and Iraq must be closed as a key measure in fighting against the Daesh terrorist group. Moscow says it
has evidence indicating the complicity of Ankara in the smuggling of oil from territories held by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Ankara has repeatedly been accused of being
one of the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria amid reports that it
actively trains and arms the Takfiri militants there and
facilitates their safe passage into the Arab country. Turkish opposition daily
Cumhuriyet published videos in June 2015 purportedly
implicating the Turkish Intelligence Service, also known as the MIT, in ensuring safe passage into Syria for Daesh. Damascus has long been saying that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are funding and arming anti-Syria terrorist groups, including Daesh.
Comment: It's interesting reading Stratfor's take on NATO. Since Stratfor is often called a "shadow CIA", his comments likely reveal the mindset of the American elites regarding Europe. His comments might be a subtle message to European leaders to get in line and do what you're told or we'll find someone who will.