Turkey, which defends the territorial integrity of Ukraine, also announced that it does not recognize Russia's illegal elections in Crimea.
The Duma elections held in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed on March 8, 2014, brought along international reactions. The elections held in Crimea, which was seized by Russia despite being affiliated with Ukraine, were not recognized by Ukraine, Turkey and European countries.
Duma elections, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, were held in the Russian territories, as well as in the regions of Dombask and Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine after military initiatives.
While the Kremlin administration, which occupied Crimea, was holding the illegal Russian State Duma elections on the peninsula, the Permanent Representative of the Presidency of Ukraine in Crimea Anton Korinevic stated that the so-called election preparation process, monitoring the so-called elections and identifying the organizers were carried out meticulously. Korinevic stated that those who participate in the process of organizing and conducting the illegal elections held in the occupied Crimea will be punished legally.
TURKEY MAKES IT CLEAR OVER CRIMEA: “WE DON'T RECOGNIZE IT”
Turkey, which has developed close relations with Russia in recent years, continues to stand by Ukraine on the Crimea issue. Despite its close relations with Russia for 7 years, Turkey defines the attempt to annex Crimea, which was a part of Ukraine until 2014, as illegal.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tanju Bilgiç, stated that the elections held in Crimea have no legal validity for Turkey.
Stating that Turkey continues its support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Bilgiç said, "Turkey maintains its support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and does not recognize the unlawful annexation of Crimea. In this context, the results of the Russian Federation State Duma elections held in Crimea on 17-19 September 2021, as of Crimea, have no legal validity for Turkey."