ANKARA, March 20. /TASS/. The conflict in Ukraine might have been prevented if the world community had reacted to Crimea’s reunification with Russian adequately, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday.

"The war between Ukraine and Russia impacts us directly. We reacted to Crimea’s annexation back in 2014. If back then the world had reacted to it adequately, it wouldn’t have happened today," he said, his speech was broadcasted on his Twitter account.

Turkey’s authorities have repeatedly said they won’t recognize Crimea’s reunification with Russia and stand for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

he Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, 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.

Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 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 the Russian Federation. Russian 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.