2 yıl önce

Türkiye reiterates it won't recognise Crimea's 'illegal annexation'

The Turkish Foreign Ministry says Ankara will continue to closely follow developments in Crimea, particularly "the situation of Crimean Tatar Turks, who are among principal constituents of the Peninsula".

Türkiye has repeated its long-time policy against recognising the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia.

"Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation following the illegitimate referendum held on 16 March 2014," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday

"Türkiye and the international community do not recognise this act, which is a clear violation of international law," added the statement, which was released on the eighth anniversary of the annexation.

It underlined that Ankara would continue to closely follow developments in Crimea, particularly "the situation of Crimean Tatar Turks, who are among principal constituents of the Peninsula".

"On this occasion, we reaffirm our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a strategic partner of Türkiye," it added.

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, a move widely viewed as illegal by the international community, including Türkiye and the UN General Assembly.

SOURCE: AA