Turkey: We reject Russia’s decision to annex Ukrainian regions

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has expressed its rejection of Russia’s decision to annex 4 Ukrainian regions.

“We cannot accept this decision, which is a serious violation of well-established principles of international law,” the foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.

The statement noted that “Turkey did not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea in an illegal referendum held in 2014, and stressed on every occasion its strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty.”

“In line with this position we took in 2014, we reject Russia’s decision to annex the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye,” the statement added.

“We cannot accept this decision, which is a serious violation of established principles of international law, and we renew our support for ending the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has taken on more dangerous dimensions on the basis of a just peace that can be reached through negotiations,” the Foreign Ministry stressed.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a document that included the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson, amid widespread rejection and condemnation from the West.

And last Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that more than 98 percent of the participants in the referendums in the four regions voted in favor of joining Russia.

Since February 24, Russia has launched a military attack in its neighbor Ukraine, prompting capitals in the forefront of which is Washington to impose severe economic sanctions on Moscow.