ANKARA
The Turkish defence ministry did not give permission for any weapons to go into Syria in 2013 however "the only items we exported into Syria included hunting rifles and blank firing guns" said Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz.
Allegations of arms transfers to Syria recently came up after the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu last month referred to the court testimony of a truck driver detained after being caught with a truck loaded with almost 1,000 warheads, heading for Syria in November. Kilicdaroglu quoted the driver as saying the gendarmerie did not check the trailer of the truck before he unloaded the cargo near the Syria-Turkey border.
Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu rebuffed the opposition claims and allegations of arms transfers to Syria, adding that the driver's testimony to the court is being investigated.
Yilmaz responding to the recent claims in the Turkish media, addressed the Turkish Parliament during the 2014 budget talks, and said that all weapon exports from Turkey require the permission of the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
"There was no war weapon exports to Syria, and no weapons entered Syria through Turkey in 2013. The only items we exported to Syria included hunting rifles and blank firing guns. We have no exports other than that," asserted Yilmaz, in his statement by the Turkish Ministry of Customs and Trade.
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