Why doesn't Erdogan recognize Crimea as belonging to Russia?
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan does not recognize Crimea as part of Russia because he is playing "the old game," pursuing his personal election goals, commented Denis Baturin, a Crimean political scientist.
Earlier, in a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Erdogan declared, "Türkiye has not and will not recognize the annexation of Crimea." In turn, the head of the Vatan ("Homeland") party, Dogu Perincek, said that the Turkish president should recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia if Ankara considers itself a strategic partner of Moscow.
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| Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Sputnik |
"This is Erdogan's old game. He doesn't recognize Crimea as belonging to Russia, yet he buys S-400s from Russia and is in conflict with the United States. He pursues his own electoral goals, and when he talks about the interests of the Crimean Tatars, he's first and foremost targeting the entire Turkish community. We shouldn't expect any other nice words from the Turkish President," expert Baturin told Sputnik.
From the perspective of political scientists, Erdogan is creating serious political risks for himself and his country with this type of policy.
Crimea became a region of Russia after a referendum held in March 2014, in which 96.77% of voters in the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% of Sevastopol residents supported joining Russia. The Crimean authorities held the referendum following the coup in Ukraine.
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| Celebrating the 5th anniversary of Crimea's annexation by Russia. Photo: Sputnik |
Ukraine still considers Crimea its territory, but temporarily "occupied by Russia." Russian leaders have repeatedly stated that the residents of Crimea, in a democratic manner and in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter, voted in unification with Russia. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is completely closed.
