Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed that Türkiye never recognized the annexation of Crimea, a situation he said has worsened the suffering of the region’s inhabitants.

The Turkish president, in a recorded message to the Crimea Platform Leaders’ Summit, stressed that the return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law.

“Our support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine is unwavering. The return of Crimea to Ukraine is a mandate of international law,” Erdogan stated, reiterating ’Türkiye’s stance against Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. He also highlighted the ongoing suffering of the Crimean Tatars, whose hardships have persisted for eight decades.

He also thanked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Abdulcemil Kirimoglu for organizing the summit, which marks the 80th anniversary of the Crimean Tatars’ deportation.

Erdogan emphasized that Türkiye never recognized Crimea’s annexation, a decision that he said aggravated the suffering of the region’s inhabitants, and he underscored the Crimean Tatars’ right to live “free, secure, and peacefully in their homeland.”

Concluding his speech, Erdogan expressed his hope for an end to the war in Ukraine through a just and sustainable peace, based on the country’s territorial integrity and independence.