The Russian business newspaper, “Izvestia” has reported that Turkish Airlines (THY) wants to begin direct flights between Turkey and the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria’s capital city of Grozny.

According to the report, in mid-May 2012, the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Communication sent an official letter to the Russian Ministry of Transport with a request to organize direct flights to Grozny. As explained to “Izvestia” by a source in the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, the request is now being evaluated by the Russian Ministry of Transport. However, Turkish Ministry of Transport authorities refused to comment on the issue, as it seems that they do not want to break the negotiations.

Tagir Salakhanov, spokesman for the pro-Russian Ministery of Transport and Communications in the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, pointed out that regular flights between Istanbul and Grozny have already been created but they need to be more frequent.

We remind you that the same airline company, THY had earlier refused to sell tickets to some Chechen asylum seekers and blocked their ability to board planes to prevent their departure from Turkey to European countries. The recent events and developments as the flight permission request, opening a pro-Russian association in Turkey, and the unsolved murders of Chechens in Turkey show that the Turkish government’s attitude towards the Chechen issue has changed dramatically in recent years. While the current Turkish government headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to play the role of protector of oppressed people in Palestine, Libya, Egypt, Syria, and as the head of Muslim countries; they choose to totally ignore the reality of the Russian occupied Chechen territory and Chechen people only because their business relations with Russia and their dependence on oil and natural gas; in short, they have chosen money instead of humanity and human rights.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco