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Russia strongly opposes Turkey's position on Crimea, says Kremlin

On Tuesday, as Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Turkey considers it essential to "preserve the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," in particular, Crimea, the annexation of which Ankara does not recognize

MOSCOW, September 22. / TASS /. Russia is well aware of Turkey's stance on Crimea and strongly disagrees with this position, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, commenting on the statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"As for this stance, yes, we are well aware of it. We strongly oppose it and will continue to work with the Turkish side," the Kremlin spokesman noted.

On Tuesday, as Erdogan said at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Turkey considers it essential to "preserve the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," in particular, Crimea, the annexation of which Ankara does not recognize.

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, where most residents are Russian, refused to recognize the legitimacy of authorities brought to power amid riots during a coup in Ukraine in February 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.7% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. The country’s President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification treaties on March 18, 2014. The documents were ratified by Russia’s Federal Assembly, or bicameral parliament, on March 21. Despite the overwhelming results of the referendum, Ukraine still refuses to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.