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Defense Minister Yaşar Güler on Wednesday addressed Ankara’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty concerning the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 during the fifth summit of the Crimea Platform held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Güler said the peaceful resolution of the situation surrounding Crimea is “inseparable from the quest for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
He emphasized that the Crimean Tatars, a Turkic ethnic group, have long been an integral part of Ukraine’s diverse cultural landscape and have contributed significantly to the country’s peace and stability.
“Defending the rights of the Crimean Tatars is not only a matter of foreign policy, but a historical and moral duty for us,” pointing to Türkiye’s continuous efforts to raise its voice and protect its rights and secure freedom.
He added that Türkiye has never recognized Russia’s annexation of Crimea and proceeds to support Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Güler also welcomed Kyiv’s attempts to safeguard the rights of the Crimean Tatars, saying Ankara would keep backing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “commitment to the Crimean case.”
The Crimea Platform, initiated by Zelenskyy in 2021, aims to rally international support and draw global attention to Russia’s annexation of the peninsula.
The defense minister reaffirmed Türkiye’s insistence on the Crimean Platform, calling it a vital mechanism not only for enhancing the Crimean action but also for promoting the prosperity of Ukraine.
Crimea became one of the casualties in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, especially after the ouster of pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, following pro-Western protests in Ukraine that eventually divided the country into two strict pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian camps.
In 2014, a pro-Russian mob stormed the Parliament in Crimea, demanding independence from Ukraine through a referendum.
Crimean Tatars, a Muslim community Indigenous to the Black Sea peninsula, saw their lives further disrupted after the referendum. Under the pretext of a response to the Feb. 26 incidents, pro-Russian authorities turned up the pressure on Crimean Tatars, arresting their leaders. The Crimean Tatar National Assembly was banned after it was branded as an extremist organization. Activists say more people died and suffered torture in the Russian prisons they were held in, while several activists were reportedly abducted by pro-Russian forces.
Crimea was once again a focal point in the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began on Feb. 24, 2022. The peninsula has been a launching pad for Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
