Russia rejects Turkish disregard of elections in Crimea

Kremlin has expressed Russia's rejection to the Turkish stance not to recognize the results of the parliamentary elections held in Crimea. "We don’t accept such statements [about non-recognition of the elections in Crimea] and we openly say this to our Turkish colleagues," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Tuesday September 21 2021 11:19 pm

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov is seen in this file photo.

Duvar English

The Kremlin has said that it rejects Turkey's stance not to recognize the results of the recent Russian legislation elections in Crimea.

"We don’t accept such statements [about non-recognition of the elections in Crimea] and we openly say this to our Turkish colleagues," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS on Sept. 21

"The issue of Crimea is an issue on which our positions are dramatically different. We express regrets in connection with this stance, but we hope that political will be shown over time and Turkey will change this position, simply acknowledging the truth and the real state of things," he added.

Peskov also said that the "presence of significant issues on which there are disagreements, is not and should not be an obstacle for the development of the whole range of bilateral relations and cooperation on a number of regional issues."

"Cooperation must be continued, it is first of all in the interests of the Russian side, as well as in the interests of the Turkish side". "As for the points of differences, we will continue to work on these points with the Turkish side, explaining our position and expecting that we will manage to bring our positions closer sooner or later," he said.

Earlier on Sept. 21, Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that Moscow will pay close attention to Ankara’s statement regarding its non-recognition of the recent legislative elections in Crimea.

"Turkey is well aware of the fact that Crimea is a sovereign part of Russia, and it is well aware that we never ignore such statements," Zakharova was quoted as saying by TASS.

"If they are not tired of hearing the relevant reprimands and reminders from Moscow, it means that they are patient people, however this does not lead to anything, except that we draw the appropriate conclusions, which definitely do not benefit bilateral ties," she said.

Russia's comments came a day after Turkey rejected the parliamentary elections held in Crimea.

In a statement, Tanju Bilgiç, spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said: “Turkey maintains its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and does not recognize the unlawful annexation of Crimea."

In this context, Bilgiç said, the State Duma elections held in Crimea on Sept. 17-19 have “no legal validity for Turkey.”

Topics Turkey Russia Crimea Kremlin Peskov