Turkish FM reiterates support for Crimean Tatars in meeting with leader

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday met the leader of Crimean Tatars Mustafa Abdulcemil Kirimoglu, and reiterated support for the Turkic ethnic group.

"We will continue to support Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity and defend the rights of Crimean Tatar Turks,” Cavusoglu said on Twitter after the meeting in Ankara.

Ukraine has been wracked by conflict since March 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea after an illegal independence vote.

The UN General Assembly voted to proclaim the Russian annexation illegal. Along with many UN countries, the US, EU and Türkiye also do not recognize Crimea as Russian territory.

Since the annexation, the region’s Tatar minority has complained of repression, including arbitrary arrests and detentions.

Last week, Türkiye’s parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop, addressing the Crimean Platform in the Croatian capital Zagreb, reiterated that the country will never recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea.