Crimean Tatars reproach Turkey for not imposing sanctions on Russia

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Crimean Tatar leader and Ukrainian Parliament lawmaker Mustafa Abdulcemil Kırımoğlu. AA Photo

Turkey should follow the West and impose sanctions on Russia, the leader of the Crimean Tatars has said during a visit to Ankara, reproaching his hosts for continuing trade with Moscow.

“We wish Turkey would join the sanctions imposed by Western countries [on Russia],” Crimean Tatar leader and Ukrainian Parliament lawmaker Mustafa Abdulcemil Kırımoğlu told Anadolu Agency, before his scheduled meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Nov. 25.
“Of course it wouldn’t yield results if only some countries implement sanctions, while others continue trade benefiting from this opportunity,” Kırımoğlu said, referring to Turkey’s moves to take advantage of chilled business ties between Russia and the West.

After the United States and the European Union began imposing sanctions on Russia for its role in the conflict in Ukraine, Russia retaliated with restrictions on the importation of food from the EU and other Western countries in August.

As Turkish authorities rushed to eliminate barriers on trade to boost the exchange of goods between countries, Turkey’s food exports to Russia surged over the first nine months of the year, with white meat exports, poultry and seafood increasing by 447 percent, according to figures announced by Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker on Nov. 24.

Despite reproaching Turkey’s unwillingness to impose sanctions on Russia, Kırımoğlu said he knows that “Turkey’s position is clear, supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”