Turkey's national carrier denied on
Wednesday allegations of arms shipments to unknown groups in Nigeria, which has
been ravaged by violence between the army and Islamist militants.
"Turkish Airlines, in accordance with company policy, does not ship arms to countries... where there is a power vacuum or conflict," the airline said in a statement sent to AFP.
"There have been no arms shipments from
Turkey... to (Nigeria)," it added.
In a tape posted on YouTube on Tuesday, Mehmet
Karatas, an airline executive, allegedly tells Mustafa Varank, an advisor to
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he feels guilty over the national
flag carrier's arms shipments to Nigeria.
"I do not know whether these (weapons) will
kill Muslims or Christians. I feel sinful," Karatas is allegedly heard
saying.
The leaked audio tape has the potential to harm
the airline's image - which is 49 percent state-owned and is in an aggressive
push to become a global player.
It was the latest in a series of recordings
implicating Erdogan and his aides in corruption and other abuses of power ahead
of crucial local polls on March 30.
The Turkish premier, in power since 2003, has
dismissed most of the tapes as "vile" fakes put together by his
political opponents.
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