On Sunday, the Ministry of abroad Affairs of Turkey published a message on the occasion of Russia's 11th anniversary of the annexation of Crimea as a consequence of the “illegal referendum”.
"We reiterate that Turkey does not recognise the de facto situation in Crimea, which is simply a violation of global law, and that we support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. We will proceed to follow closely the situation in Crimea, especially the destiny of the Crimean Tatars, indigenous peoples of the peninsula, and we will keep this issue on the agenda of the global community," says the statement.
Crimea became 1 of the key tension points between Ukraine and Russia, especially after the overthrow of pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Pro-Russian demonstrations, followed by military intervention by Russia, led to the annexation of the peninsula. The actions of the Russian armed forces violated 2 treaties between Russia and Ukraine, dated 1997 and 2010.
In February 2014, a pro-Russian group took over the Crimean Parliament and called for a referendum on secession from Ukraine. The Crimean Tatars, who advocated the integrity of Ukraine, organised counter-demonstrations that led to clashes between the 2 parties. The following day, armed troops, called "green men", took over key administrative buildings. They were most likely Russian military units without markings, although Russia denied it.
Under the control of pro-Russian forces, the Crimean Parliament appointed a referendum for March 16, 2014. Meanwhile, pro-Russian forces launched a run of repression against pro-Ukrainian groups and Crimean Tatars who decided to boycott the referendum. The consequence of the vote, favouring Russia, was contested by the global community. The UN has declared them illegal, and most countries, including Turkey, have refused to recognise Crimea as part of Russia. Nevertheless, Russia formally annexed Crimea on 21 March 2014.
After the annexation of Crimea, the situation of Crimean Tatars deteriorated significantly. Pro-Russian authorities began persecution of this community, and Tatar leaders were arrested. Medżlis – the highest typical body of the Crimean Tatars – was delegated as an extremist organization. There have been reports of torture, kidnapping and murders committed by pro-Russian forces on activists opposed to annexation.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 Crimea played a key function as an operational base for Russian forces. Russia, in addition to control of Donetsk and Lugansk, besides occupied the dam and Kherson circuits, creating a land corridor to Crimea. In consequence Ukraine began to launch attacks on strategical targets in Crimea, including the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. Ukrainian armed forces, among others, utilized British-French Storm Shadow missiles to destruct Russian ships and military infrastructure. According to military sources, Russia was forced to transfer part of the fleet from Crimea to Novorossian.
As in the case of Crimea, Russia organized referendums in occupied Ukraine circuits in 2022 to be incorporated into the Russian Federation. On September 30, 2022, president Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Donetsk, Lugansk, Chersonia and Zaporozh, meaning that Russia took control of another 15% of Ukraine's territory.
Crimea remains a key point in global negotiations on the end of the war. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenski repeatedly stressed that Ukraine would not agree to lose any part of its territory, including Crimea. The United States suggested that returning to Ukraine's 1991 borders may be unrealistic under a possible peace agreement, but Russia powerfully rejects any negotiations on Crimea.
Turkey, as a NATO member, has tried to keep a balance in relations with both Kiev and Moscow since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Ankara provides Ukraine with military and political support, while not joining Western sanctions imposed on Russia. president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly stressed that Turkey considers Crimea to be part of Ukraine. Ankara has besides made many mediation efforts, organising talks between Russia and the United States and hosting Zelenski in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Turkey's historical relations with Crimea date back to the 15th century, erstwhile the Crimean Chanat became the lenna of the Ottoman Empire. These relations continued for centuries, until the 18th century, erstwhile after the war the Russian-Turkish Crimea was annexed by Russia under the treaty in Küçük Kaynarca. presently Turkey has consistently stressed its support for the rights of Crimean Tatars and Ukraine's territorial integrity, claiming that Crimea should return to Kiev's control.
The issue of Crimea remains 1 of the key problems of the global political scene, and the future of the peninsula will depend on the continuation of the war and possible peace negotiations.
