Refugees will need visa to enter Turkey by air, sea: FM spokesman

Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç said on Wednesday that Syrian refugees would be required to have visas to enter Turkey by air or sea, starting January 8.

In a weekly press conference in Ankara, Bilgiç said the new visa requirements for aerial and sea borders aims to prevent illegal migration.

"As of Jan. 8, Syrians that enter Turkey through our aerial and sea borders will be required to get a visa," he said. "But on our land border, we will continue our open border policy for humanitarian concerns."

Bilgiç also responded to Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic who said Turkey had provoked Russia by downing the warplane in order to start a war between NATO members and Russia.

"The Russian warplane was downed for violating Turkey's airspace after multiple warnings. It is a right for every country to expect respect for its own sovereignty and sovereignty is untouchable," he said.

Bilgiç addressed the accusations by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's regarding Turkey buying oil from Daesh.

A Norwegian daily reportedly divulged details of a report that indicated Daesh smuggled most of its oil to Turkey.

Stating that the report that Zakharova showed as evidence was published in a marginal newspaper in Norway - Radical left Klassekampen - Bilgiç said: "First of all, these are unmeritorious accusations and the product of a propaganda that is carried out against Turkey."

Bilgiç stated Norway's embassy in Ankara had made a statement saying that these accusations did not represent Norway's official stance. Bilgiç added the same report mentioned evidence regarding the Syrian regime's purchase of oil from Daesh.

"Russian authorities are providing every type of support to the Syrian regime. So naturally, if there is oil smuggling with Daesh, Russian officials are taking part in this," said Bilgiç.