Turkish Deputy PM: Ankara condemns the annexation of Crimea despite normalization of relations with Russia
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said that, no matter how relations between Turkey and Russia may normalize, Ankara condemns the annexation of the Crimea.
He said this at a press conference with journalists in London, Anadolu reports.
According to him, the Crimea and Crimean Tatar issues are important for Turkey, which is closely monitoring the situation on the peninsula.
“We declare at all levels that from the very beginning we have condemned Russia’s position regarding the annexation of the Crimea,” the deputy prime minister said.
Kurtulmuş noted that no matter how relations between Turkey and Russia may normalize, Ankara continues to oppose the annexation of the peninsula and is public about this opposition on all international platforms.
Russian media reported that the “delegation of Turkish politicians and business representatives arrived in Simferopol.”
However, as reported by the charge d’affaires and interim of the embassy of Turkey in Ukraine, Ozgyun Taluyu, the Turkish delegation did not include representatives of the official authorities of Turkey.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has summoned Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Yönet Can Tezel to provide an explanation for the visit of the delegation of Turkish representatives to the Crimea.