The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned the official visit of the Russian delegation from the Russian-occupied Crimea to Türkiye and asked the Turkish government to explain what such a visit means, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
On 1 November, the Russian delegation from occupied Yalta (Crimea, southern Ukraine) participated in a meeting of the International Organization of United Cities and Local Governments. The Russian delegation from occupied Yalta announced the conclusion of a sister city agreement with the municipal district of Beylikdüzü of the Turkish city of Istanbul.
“We take this situation with extreme seriousness. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already requested official explanations from the Turkish side regarding the status of the visit of representatives of the Russian occupation administration,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spox Oleh Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spox reminded that according to international law, Crimea is the territory of Ukraine illegally occupied and annexed by Russia. The UN General Assembly resolutions require any party to refrain from actions that could call into question the status of Crimea, “in particular through contacts with the occupation administrations,” Oleh Nikolenko said.
“We expect that the Turkish authorities, who support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, will respond appropriately to the Russian provocation and prevent its recurrence in the future,” Nikolenko said.
Türkiye has never recognized Russia’s illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea and has always supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
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