Erdogan's Statement: 'We Consider Russia's Annexation of Crimea Illegal and Unconstitutional'

Turkey does not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia for both legal and moral reasons. This was stated by Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his speech at the Crimea Platform summit.

“We consider the annexation of Crimea to be illegal and unconstitutional. This is our principled stance from both a moral and legal perspective. International law demands that Crimea be returned to Ukraine. This is very important for the entire region and the global security system in terms of supporting stability, Ukraine's territorial integrity, its sovereignty, and political system,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish president emphasized that the war should end with a fair peace based on Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. According to him, Ankara is making every effort to create an effective diplomatic channel to achieve this goal.

On the previous day, President Erdogan announced that he plans to organize a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's leader Vladimir Putin. He did not specify exact dates but assured that negotiations could take place “in the near future.”