Peskov: Putin’s pet Turkologist with the $670,000 watch.

Russia regrets Turkey’s refusal to recognize Duma election results in Crimea — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stressed that Turkey is Russia’s partner and 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.”

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Earlier, a statement from Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Tanju Bilgich was posted on the ministry’s website, saying that the results of the elections to the State Duma on September 17-19 “have no legal validity for Turkey.”

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Russian elections in Crimea have no ‘legal validity’ for Turkey

The results of the parliamentary elections held in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, do not have legal validity for Turkey, the foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sept. 20.

Turkey maintains its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and does not recognize the unlawful annexation of Crimea, Tanju Bilgiç said in a statement. In this context, Bilgiç stated that the State Duma elections held in Crimea on Sept. 17-19 have “no legal validity for Turkey.”

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Turkey rejects ‘invalid’ Russian elections in Crimea

Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of breaching international law by hosting parliamentary elections on the Crimean Peninsula and allowing residents of separatist-controlled regions to cast ballots in the vote.

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Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recently stated that Turkey has never recognized the illegal occupation of Crimea and will not recognize it, underlining that Ankara supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity. He also called on the international community to act as one against the annexation of Crimea.

Turkey is one of the most active supporters of the Crimea issue on the international level, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova also said, expressing her hope that the Crimean Platform will strengthen global efforts for the liberation of the region.