Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during the fourth Crimean Platform Summit that the return of Crimea to Ukrainian control is a requirement of international law. This was reported by the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
The President of Turkey expressed gratitude to all who contributed to the organisation of the summit, first of all to his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelensky and the leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed that Turkey ‘sincerely wishes the war to end with a just and lasting peace on the basis of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence’.
The Turkish leader recalled that the current summit coincides with the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people. He noted that ‘the pain of the tragedy suffered by the Crimean Tatar Turks, who were forcibly expelled from their homeland, has not subsided and its wounds have not healed for 80 years’.
He also stressed that Turkey has never recognised the occupation of Crimea, which has ‘intensified the suffering of the people of the region’.
The President emphasised that ‘ensuring the security and well-being of the Crimean Tatar Turks, one of the indigenous peoples of Crimea, is among the priorities of Turkey’s foreign policy’.
We shall remind you that the fourth Crimea Platform Summit started on 11 September.