ISTANBUL / ANTALYA, Türkiye

A Crimean Tatar national leader said Türkiye’s stance on the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia has remained consistent since 2014, expressing deep gratitude for its firm position.

Speaking to Anadolu during Türkiye’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Mustafa Abdulcemil Kirimoglu highlighted Türkiye’s ongoing support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

He also stressed that any peace agreement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is unlikely unless both parties adhere to international norms.

Kirimoglu – former chair of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis or parliament – warned that a ceasefire, without proper terms, could only lead to preparations for a larger and more violent conflict.

“The territorial integrity of countries must be ensured first. Russians want five of our (Ukrainian) regions to be recognized as theirs. Under these conditions, peace is impossible,” he said.

He noted Türkiye’s view of Crimea as a homeland for Crimean Tatars and cited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Türkiye this February following a high-profile dispute with US President Donald Trump, during which Türkiye’s hospitality was lauded in Ukraine. Since 2016, when running for his first term as president, Trump has suggested that the world accept Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Kirimoglu also criticized the US for pressuring Ukraine over its mineral resources, saying: “We gave up nuclear weapons in 1994 under US pressure and signed the Budapest Memorandum. Nuclear powers like Russia, the US, the UK, and France were supposed to guarantee our territorial integrity. One turned into a rogue and invaded our land."

"And now they want our resources in return for the aid they offer. But who will pay for the trillions in damage this war has cost us?”

After taking it over in 2014, Russia turned the Crimean Peninsula, which is home to around 350,000 Tatars, into a large Russian military base by deploying weapon systems as well as 150,000 soldiers.

Turkiye and the US, as well as the UN General Assembly, view the annexation as illegal. Many call it a precursor to the current war, which Russia began in February 2022.

Since 2014 Crimea's ethnic Tartars have faced a "systematic oppression and intimidation campaign," in the words of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, including the banning of their representative body the Mejlis, raids on homes and mass detentions, and suppression of the right to assembly and protest as well as freedom of expression.

Kirimoglu also said he attends Turkiye’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum every year, calling it a vital platform to share their concerns with diplomats and journalists from around the world.

The three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum is being held with Anadolu Agency as its global communications partner.