Zelenskyy Thanks Erdogan For Acknowledging Crimea's 'Annexation'

The Ukrainian Presidency said on Wednesday that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for describing Crimea's reunification with Russia as "annexation" in his UN General Assembly statement

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) The Ukrainian Presidency said on Wednesday that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for describing Crimea's reunification with Russia as "annexation" in his UN General Assembly statement.

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Erdogan noted the importance of preserving Ukraine's territorial integrity, including the territory of "annexed" Crimea. The Turkish leader also pointed to the need to make more efforts to protect the rights of the Crimean Tatars.

"The head of the Ukrainian state thanked the leader of Turkey for his firm position in relation to the non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation," the statement said.

Zelenskyy has told Erdogan that it is important that Ukraine and Turkey keep their stable relationship and continue to expand it in the political, trade-economic, military-technical and humanitarian spheres. The two leaders also discussed the possibilities of cooperating in the energy sector in the context of diversifying energy carriers, according to the statement.

"The President of Ukraine also thanked Recep Tayyip Erdogan for supporting the Crimean Platform," the statement added.

Among the other topics discussed by the Ukrainian and Turkish leaders was the release of the "illegally detained Crimean Tatars" and the work on a bilateral free trade agreement, Zelenskyy's office said.

Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014 after more than 95% of the peninsula's residents voted in favor of a reunification in a referendum. Most Western countries sided with Ukraine in rejecting the referendum's results.

The Crimean Platform summit was held in Kiev on August 23 at the initiative of Ukraine. More than 40 countries and international organizations took part in the event to discuss the returning of Crimea under Kiev's control.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the forum a coven where "the West will continue to nurture neo-Nazi, racist sentiments of the Ukrainian government." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the summit as anti-Russian and unfriendly.