Türkiye Reiterates Rejection of Russia’s Annexation of Crimea

Turkish FM Hakan Fidan speaks at the Baku forum. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish FM Hakan Fidan speaks at the Baku forum. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Türkiye Reiterates Rejection of Russia’s Annexation of Crimea

Turkish FM Hakan Fidan speaks at the Baku forum. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish FM Hakan Fidan speaks at the Baku forum. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Türkiye reiterated on Saturday it does not recognize the “illegal annexation of Crimea” by Russia ten years ago, underlining its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

In a statement marking ten years since the annexation, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “It has been a decade since the Russian Federation annexed the Autonomous Republic of Crimea of Ukraine through an illegitimate referendum held on 16 March 2014.”

Ankara said it will keep “closely” monitoring developments in the region, “especially the situation of the Crimean Tatar Turks, one of the main constituents of the peninsula.” They will remain a top priority for Türkiye, it added.

The Crimean Tatar Turks are a Turkic ethnic group who consider themselves native to Crimea. They were forcibly uprooted from their homeland and expelled to central Russia, Siberia and central Asia under Soviet rule.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara has supported Ukraine's territorial integrity from the first day of the war waged by Russia in February 2022.

The minister was speaking at the 11th Global Baku Forum that was attended by more than 70 countries.

“Türkiye recognizes Crimea as the territory of Ukraine. We are working for a diplomatic solution to the war and for the security of the Black Sea,” he said.

Moreover, the FM ruled out that the Russian-Ukrainian war would end anytime soon.

He revealed that the two countries are seeking to establish a new security framework that may be negotiated soon.

“This new mechanism will contribute to achieving global food security and easing tensions in the Black Sea region,” he said.

Fidan highlighted Ankara’s role in reaching the Black Sea grain deal, which was beneficial for global food security.

“We achieved this, but it took some time,” he said. “We are now working on a similar arrangement with the UN and partner countries. I really hope and pray that we can reach an agreement.”

Türkiye continues to seek mediation between Russia and Ukraine and is working to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and guarantee the safe implementation of the grain trade.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his ongoing willingness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to reach peace.

Erdogan said he hopes his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will pay a visit to his country after municipal elections in Türkiye on March 31.

“We continue our dialogue with both of our Black Sea neighbors. Last Friday, we received Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Istanbul. And after the elections, we will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin,” he said at a Ramadan iftar dinner with foreign ambassadors.



Wars Top Global Risk as Davos Elite Gathers in Shadow of Fragmented World

A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Wars Top Global Risk as Davos Elite Gathers in Shadow of Fragmented World

A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a logo during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Armed conflict is the top risk in 2025, a World Economic Forum (WEF) survey released on Wednesday showed, a reminder of the deepening global fragmentation as government and business leaders attend an annual gathering in Davos next week.

Nearly one in four of the more than 900 experts surveyed across academia, business and policymaking ranked conflict, including wars and terrorism, as the most severe risk to economic growth for the year ahead.

Extreme weather, the no. 1 concern in 2024, was the second-ranked danger.

"In a world marked by deepening divides and cascading risks, global leaders have a choice: to foster collaboration and resilience, or face compounding instability," WEF Managing Director Mirek Dusek said in a statement accompanying the report.

"The stakes have never been higher."

The WEF gets underway on Jan. 20 and Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States the same day and has promised to end the war in Ukraine, will address the meeting virtually on Jan. 23. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend the meeting and give a speech on Jan. 21, according to the WEF organizers.

Among other global leaders due to attend the meeting are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

Syria, the "terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza" and the potential escalation of the conflict in the Middle East will be a focus at the gathering, according to WEF President and CEO Borge Brende.

Negotiators were hammering out the final details of a potential ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday, following marathon talks in Qatar.

The threat of misinformation and disinformation was ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years, according to the survey, the same ranking as in 2024.

Over a 10-year horizon environmental threats dominated experts' risk concerns, the survey showed. Extreme weather was the top longer-term global risk, followed by biodiversity loss, critical change to earth's systems and a shortage of natural resources.

Global temperatures last year exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial era for the first time, bringing the world closer to breaching the pledge governments made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

A global risk is defined by the survey as a condition that would negatively affect a significant proportion of global GDP, population or natural resources. Experts were surveyed in September and October.

The majority of respondents, 64%, expect a multipolar, fragmented global order to persist.