Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Crimea should return to Ukraine according to the requirements of international law, noting that Turkish "support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is unwavering."
He stated this in a video address to the fourth summit of the Crimean Platform leaders, the Turkish state news agency Anadolu reports.
Erdogan reminded that this yearʼs summit coincides with the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of the Crimean Tatar people from the peninsula. He stated that the annexation of Crimea, "against which Turkey has been opposing since the first day, has further deepened the suffering of the Crimean Tatars, who survived deportation 80 years ago."
Emphasizing that guaranteeing the security and well-being of the Crimean Tatar Turks is one of the priorities of Turkeyʼs foreign policy, Erdogan expressed his satisfaction with the legal norms introduced for the first time by the Ukrainian government to strengthen the rights of the Crimean Tatars.
Erdogan also emphasized that Crimean Tatars have the right to live a free, safe and peaceful life in their homeland.
"It is good that in June, after almost three years of captivity, the Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Crimean Tatars Nariman Dzhelal was released. We hope for the speedy release of all our compatriots — Crimean Tatars, in particular the brothers Asan and Aziz Akhmetov," he said.
Erdogan wished that the war would end with a just and lasting peace based on the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
"Concluding my speech, I hope that the work we are doing within the framework of the platform will contribute to international efforts to ensure peace in Crimea, Ukraine and our region," he added.
- On September 11, the "Crimean Platform" summit is taking place in Kyiv. During it, the National Memorial dedicated to the tragedy of the Crimean Tatar people was opened. It was opened in Kyiv on the site of the former Chekist Square near the Lybidska metro station.