SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Ukrainian media reported that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Ankara considered Crimea to be a part of Ukraine.
"We urge Turkey not to speculate on the status of Crimea… Turkish authorities have for two years preferred not to call Crimea a part of Ukraine, blessing their investors to work in the Crimean region," Balbek told RIA Novosti.
Crimea reunified with Russia in March 2014 following a political referendum in the region, in which 96 percent of the population voted in favor of rejoining Russia. Ukraine and the West have refused to recognize the vote, imposing economic sanctions against the peninsula that include investment bans and restrictive measures targeting Crimean individuals and entities, however Turkey had for long refrained from expressing an opinion on the issue.
Relations between Turkey and Russia deteriorated in November 2015 when a Turkish Air Force jet shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber carrying out anti-terrorist operations in Syria. Despite Ankara's claims that the plane had violated Turkish airspace, both Russian and Syrian military officials confirmed that the plane never crossed into Turkish airspace.
