Turkish politician called on Ankara to recognize Crimea as Russian

ANKARA, February 7 Turkey needs to accept that Crimea belongs to Russia, Turkish secretary general told RIA Novosti Vatan («Motherland») party Dogu Perincek. «There is a solid foundation for cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Moscow needs recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Ankara needs to accept that Crimea is the territory of Russia,» Perincek said. Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimean voters and 95.6% of Sevastopol residents voted for joining Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea its own, but temporarily occupied territory. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea democratically, in full accordance with international law and the UN Charter, voted for reunification with Russia. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is «finally closed».