₦airaland Forum

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who in the past has been called a "dear friend" by Vladimir Putin, dealt a blow to the Russian leader when he advocated the return of annexed Crimea to Ukraine.

"Our support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence is unwavering," Erdoğan said in a video message to the Fourth Crimea Platform Leaders Summit on Wednesday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported. "The return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law."

Turkey, a NATO nation since 1952, has maintained cordial relations with Russia throughout Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, opposing Western sanctions placed on the country. At the same time, Ankara has sent Kyiv armed drones and condemned Russia's decision to invade its neighbor.

Erdogan said on September 11 that Russia must return Crimea to Ukraine.
Erdoğan's remarks are likely to displease Putin, who annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and held referendums widely seen by the international community as illegal.

Kyiv has said that any peace deal with Russia in the ongoing war must invalidate the September 2022 annexations of its territory—the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions—and that the Crimean Peninsula must once again be considered part of Ukraine.

Erdoğan said in his video address that Turkey has always been opposed to Russia's annexation of Crimea. He decried the persecution of Crimea's ethnic Tatars since 2014.

"I believe that additional steps will continue to be taken to strengthen the rights of the Crimean Tatar Turks in the upcoming period," he said.

Crimean Tatar Turks should be able to live "freely, securely, and peacefully in their own homeland."

Erdoğan added: "Our sincere wish is for the war to end with a fair and lasting peace based on Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence."

In October 2020, the Turkish leader said during a joint press briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his country would never recognize the annexation of Crimea.

"We have and always will support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including over Crimea," he said. "Turkey sees Ukraine as a key country for ensuring stability, security, peace and prosperity in our region."

Putin has said that Ukraine must accept the annexation of Crimea as well as of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, should the war-torn country wish to begin peace talks.

MadPolitician:
Erdrogan is lowly morphing up into a rabble rouser. He should first allow the Kurds to have their own country and stop killing them because they're asking for independence. That is if he really beleives in international laws.The kurdish leader has been languishing in his jail for decades now.

Folks like to pontificate on issues way above their pay grade. Its the same way the Arabs are wailing and yelling about the way isreal is treating them in Palestine, yet blacks are still being kept in cages in Libya and non spoke out. All the Arab presence in North Africa, came as a result of massacres and genocides, but they want to keepbit while chasing away the jews from Isreal.

1Alex:
There was a referendum before Russia annexed Crimea. Crimea people voted massively in favour of joining Russia.

MadPolitician:
Erdrogan is slowly morphing up into a rabble rouser. He should first allow the Kurds to have their own country and stop killing them because they're asking for independence. That is if he really beleives in international laws.The kurdish leader has been languishing in his jail for decades now.

Folks like to pontificate on issues way above their pay grade. Its the same way the Arabs are wailing and yelling about the way isreal is treating them in Palestine, yet blacks are still being kept in cages in Libya and non spoke out. All the Arab presence in North Africa, came as a result of massacres and genocides, but they want to keep that while chasing away the jews from Isreal.

Christistruth00:
Erdogan needs to start playing chess with Obasanjo

We don't even know who is most slimy between the two

After Erdogan finished helping Putin to dig himself into a very deep hole he is using style to disown him

MadPolitician:
Erdrogan is slowly morphing up into a rabble rouser. He should first allow the Kurds to have their own country and stop killing them because they're asking for independence. That is if he really beleives in international laws.The kurdish leader has been languishing in his jail for decades now.

Folks like to pontificate on issues way above their pay grade. Its the same way the Arabs are wailing and yelling about the way isreal is treating them in Palestine, yet blacks are still being kept in cages in Libya and non spoke out. All the Arab presence in North Africa, came as a result of massacres and genocides, but they want to keep that while chasing away the jews from Isreal.

1Alex:
There was a referendum before Russia annexed Crimea. Crimea people voted massively in favour of joining Russia.