ERDOĞAN REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR KYIV, CALLS FOR CRIMEA’S RETURN TO UKRAINE

Wed 11 September 2024:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered Wednesday a message to the Fourth Crimea Platform Leaders Summit, emphasizing Türkiye’s commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“Our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence is unwavering. The return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law,” Erdoğan declared in a video message.

He highlighted Türkiye’s stance on Crimea, stressing that its return to Ukraine aligns with international legal standards.

Turkish President Erdogan in video message to 4th Crimea Platform:

– Our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity is unwavering & Crimea’s return to Ukraine is mandated by intl law
– Our sincere wish is that war ends with just & lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s territorial… pic.twitter.com/D7nwZ2Iooc

— TRT World (@trtworld) September 11, 2024

Erdoğan also expressed confidence in further actions to support the Crimean Tatar Turks, saying: “I believe that additional steps will continue to be taken to strengthen the rights of the Crimean Tatar Turks in the upcoming period.”

Concluding his address, Erdoğan conveyed Ankara’s broader aspirations for the resolution of the conflict, noting: “Our sincere wish is for the war to end with a fair and lasting peace based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.”

Russian forces entered the Crimean Peninsula in February 2014, with Russian President Vladimir Putin formally dividing the region into two separate federal subjects of the Russian Federation the following month.

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Since then, Crimean Tatars have continued their struggle for Ukraine’s territorial integrity against Russian occupation.

Crimea’s ethnic Tatars have faced persecution since Russia’s 2014 takeover of the peninsula, a situation Türkiye has decried.

Türkiye and the US, as well as the UN General Assembly, view the annexation as illegal.

A Look at History of Crimean Tatars

The Crimean Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group native to Crimea, with a rich history shaped by their strategic homeland on the Black Sea. Their origins trace back to the 13th century when they emerged from the mix of Turkic tribes and Mongol invaders following the Mongol Golden Horde’s conquest of the region.

By the 15th century, the Crimean Khanate was established as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, becoming a powerful center of trade and military activity. The Khanate frequently clashed with Russia and neighboring powers. However, in 1783, Catherine the Great of Russia annexed Crimea, bringing the Crimean Tatars under Russian rule. This began a period of decline for the Tatars, marked by repression and waves of emigration, especially to the Ottoman Empire.

The most devastating chapter in their history came in 1944, during World War II, when Soviet leader Joseph Stalin accused Crimean Tatars of collaborating with Nazi Germany. He ordered their mass deportation to Central Asia, primarily Uzbekistan, resulting in the deaths of nearly half of the 200,000 deportees due to harsh conditions. The Crimean Tatars were only allowed to return to their homeland after the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, beginning a slow process of repatriation.

Today, Crimean Tatars continue to face political and social challenges, especially following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, which has led to renewed repression of their community, including arrests and cultural suppression. Despite this, they remain a resilient group with a strong sense of identity rooted in their Islamic faith and cultural heritage.

-Independent Press with Anadolu Agency

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