Putin says Turkey downed Russian jet to defend IS oil suppliesDecember 1, 2015 - 11:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia has accused Turkey of shooting down its warplane near the border with Syria in order to protect its oil trade with the Islamic State (IS) group, BBC News reports. Speaking at international talks on climate change in Paris, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the downing of the plane a "huge mistake". Turkey has denied any ties to IS and is part of a US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against the militant group. The Turkish government has refused to apologize for the incident. Russia has imposed sanctions on Turkey over the downing of the plane, including restrictions on imports of Turkish food and an end to visa-free travel. IS earns much of its money from illegal sales of oil - however, Turkey has staunchly denied that it is involved in the trade. "We have every reason to think that the decision to shoot down our plane was dictated by the desire to protect the oil supply lines to Turkish territory," Putin said at a news conference in Paris on Monday, November 30, according to BBC. He said Russia had received more information to show that IS oil was passing through Turkish territory. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |