Before Erdogan’s Visit to Russia, Ankara Irritates Moscow

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Since the beginning of the week, the Turkish Government has made two remarks on Crimea, which states that Ankara does not accept Crimea as a part of Russia. 

Firstly, the Turkish Foreign Minister declared legally unlawful the results of the Crimean National Duma elections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, in an address to the United Nations General Assembly, he would not accept “the Annex of Crimea.” 

One thing that should be noted is that Erdogan will visit Sochi’s Russian Black Sea resort in one week for talks with Vladimir Putin. Experts questioned by Kommersant are divided on this issue. This is a well-known position in Turkey and was agreed only by Turkish specialists. 

“Turkey definitely attaches great significance to the territorial integrity of the countries in the region. Similar remarks were made by several nations on the Crimea elections. While Moscow and Ankara have always been able to find common ground, that implies that, unlike some other countries, Turkey has not imposed sanctions on Crimea on Russia, “, the university’s Professor, Togrul Ismayil, said.

“Russia and the presidents of Turkey may speak about the misunderstandings in Sochi,” said Mesut Hakki Casin, head of the Istanbul International Law Department Yeditepe. “After all, our soldiers in Syria are fighting terrorists together, yet not a great deal is talked about,” remarked Casin.

However, according to analyst Kirill Semenov, Ankara used harsh rhetoric on Crimea in disagreements over Syria. “The Russian airstrikes in Idlib, which may lead to a new wave of refugees, cause Turkey concern. Turkey Ankara sees the talks in Sochi clearly as pressure,” the analyst has indicated.