Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that Russia must return Crimea to Ukraine under international law contrasts with the country's desire to join BRICS and casts a shadow on its leader's peacekeeping initiatives, said Dmitry Belik, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
“Erdogan’s desire to balance between Russia and NATO, where Turkey is a southern flank force and also wants to be a link between the alliance and Ukraine, which has been waiting for years to join it, results in statements like these. Of course, these words of Erdogan’s are in stark contrast to Turkey’s desire to join BRICS and prefer more favorable prospects to Europe, which is suffering from problems and has not yet achieved European integration. Erdogan’s dual position is not welcome, but it is not new for him, but it casts a shadow on Turkey’s peacekeeping initiatives. In any case, Erdogan’s statement is his playing along with the West, but the reality will not change: Crimea was, is and will be Russian,” he said.
On September 11, the Anadolu news agency reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his video address to the participants of the Crimean Platform summit, expressed hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine within the framework of its territorial integrity. The Turkish president added that he does not recognize Crimea as Russian and called the return of Crimea to Ukraine a requirement of international law.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on Erdogan's words, emphasizing that Russian regions, including Crimea, will not be discussed in the negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. The diplomat added that Russia has been hearing similar statements from various Turkish representatives for many years.
On September 2, Turkey officially applied to join BRICS. As Bloomberg sources noted, the Turkish authorities decided to join BRICS several months ago after unsuccessful negotiations on joining the European Union, for which the country has been a candidate since 1999. At the same time, Ankara intends to fulfill its obligations within NATO and maintain relations with all states.
