During his visit to Kyiv, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed full support for the Crimean Tatar people and assured that Ankara maintains a principled position regarding the illegal occupation of Crimea.
As an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported, he stated this at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiha, in Kyiv on Thursday.
"In our relations with Ukraine, our Crimean Tatar compatriots, who serve as a bridge between the two countries, hold a special place for us. From the very beginning, we have maintained a principled position against the illegal annexation of Crimea and are closely monitoring developments in the region. In this regard, I would like to reiterate that Turkey will always support our Crimean Tatar brothers," the minister emphasized.
According to Fidan, in addition to Russia's war against Ukraine, he and Sybiha discussed bilateral relations, as well as the situation in the Middle East.
"We examined how Ukraine can participate in trade routes leading to the Persian Gulf, including Syria, and how we can jointly exploit these opportunities in a new transport connectivity system," he emphasized.
He also assured that Turkey will continue to persistently pursue its efforts to ensure a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine based on international law.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would visit Ukraine on July 15-16. Fidan last visited Ukraine on May 29-30, 2025.
