Lavrov’s statements that angered Erdogan
Turkish President Erdogan indirectly gave his own “answer” to the earlier statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who described a possible escalation of military action in Syria as “unacceptable”.
In particular, Erdogan added the issue of Crimea to the game of statements as he argued:
“Turkey supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and rejects the illegal annexation of Crimea” a statement indicating a diplomatic standoff between Russia and Turkey.
“The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an integral part, is essentially a requirement of international law,” Erdogan said in a video message at the Second Crimean Platform Summit, as reported by the Turkish “Anadolu” agency.
The Crimea Platform is an international coordination mechanism of Ukraine to draw more global attention to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Erdogan said Ankara would continue to support the Crimean Platform, which was created to resolve the Crimean issue through peaceful means.
“Turkey does not recognize the annexation of Crimea and has openly stated from day one that this step is illegal,” he said.
Erdogan added that protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political unity is “critical” not only for regional but also for global security and stability.
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our Crimean Tatar compatriots is also among Turkey’s priorities,” the Turkish president said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, irking Erdoğan, that an escalation of military action in Syria would be “unacceptable” in a bid to persuade the Turkish president to abandon talks of a new military campaign in Syria .
Speaking during a press conference in Moscow with Syria’s foreign minister, Lavrov said Russia and Syria were seeking to negotiate with Turkey to “prevent a new military action.”
