Turkey does not recognize annexation of Crimea – Foreign Ministry statement

The Foreign Ministry of Turkey has issued the statement on the occasion of the third anniversary of the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as part of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

This is reported by the Anadolu Turkish news agency.

"The annexation of Crimea is the overt violation of the norms of the international law. Turkey once again declares the non-recognition of the annexation of the peninsula, carried out on the basis of the results of the illegal referendum of March 16, 2014," the statement says.

The Foreign Ministry stresses that Turkey recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

"Ankara will continue to closely monitor the processes in Crimea and protect the rights and interests of the Crimean Tatars, who historically reside on the territory of the peninsula," the statement reads.

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