Russia's 'Message' to Turkey

Russia is clearly communicating to Turkey that encouraging Ukrainian initiatives regarding Crimea is tantamount to violating Russia's territorial integrity. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during an interview with the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty.

“If we talk about the Ukrainian affairs, we strongly advise our Turkish partners at all levels to carefully analyze the situation and stop feeding Kyiv's warlike sentiments. We are very clearly conveying the idea that encouraging Ukrainian aggressive initiatives in Crimea is equivalent to an encroachment on Russia's territorial integrity,” he said.

In this regard, Russia expects Turkey's stance to be “adjusted, taking into account Moscow's legitimate concerns,” the minister emphasized.

On April 10, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that during negotiations in Istanbul with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, he reaffirmed Ankara's decision not to recognize the “annexation of Crimea” and expressed support for the “Crimea Platform” initiative, which is “aimed at bringing together the international community on the issue of Crimea.”

The Russian Foreign Minister also noted that differences in positions on certain international issues do not prevent Moscow and Ankara from conducting intensive political dialogue and developing cooperation. “Indeed, we have serious disagreements with Ankara on a number of international issues. However, this does not prevent us from conducting intensive political dialogue with our Turkish partners and developing mutually beneficial cooperation in various sectors, from energy to tourism,” he said.

Lavrov reminded that Turkey, as a NATO country, despite serious pressure from Washington, has already carried out a major contract for the purchase of the modern S-400 “Triumph” anti-aircraft missile system. “Thus, while not underestimating the existing disagreements, we will continue to be guided by our strategic vision of common interests in the development of cooperation with Turkey. I am convinced that this aligns with the aspirations of both the Russian and Turkish peoples,” Lavrov concluded.