Turkey's premier announces non-recognition of Crimea occupation, pledges support of Ukraine

14:03, 15.02.2016 1 min read

Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu has announced that his country does not recognize the occupation of Crimea and has pledged to support Ukraine as a strategic partner.

"Ukraine is not simply a neighbor, it's a country with which we've got strategic relations," he said at the beginning of talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Arseniy Yatseniuk in Kyiv on Monday.

He also assured that Turkey sees Crimea as part of Ukraine. "Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence is of fundamental value to us, therefore we consider Crimea to be an integral part of Ukraine."

Davutoglu also promised to "fully support Ukraine in the face of the challenge that emerged after the break-up of the USSR."

"We are also grateful for solidarity shown in various issues," he added.