A DECADE OF CRIMEA’S TEMPORARY OCCUPATION: TÜRKIYE’S ROLE IN SUPPORTING UKRAINE - February 26 marked the tenth anniversary of Russia’s temporary occupation of Crimea back in 2014, which paved the way to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years ago. Türkiye was among the first countries to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and call for international action to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty over the peninsula. Since then, Ankara has increased political and military cooperation with Kyiv, co-sponsored UN resolutions condemning the occupation, backed Ukraine’s efforts (including the Crimea Platform) to de-occupy Crimea and maintained attention on the problems of the human rights violations and persecution of Crimean Tatars on the temporarily occupied peninsula.

What is the role of Crimea in Ukrainian-Turkish relations now? How does the occupation of Crimea affect regional security? What impacts does it have on Türkiye from a geopolitical perspective? What are the prospects of de-occupation and what role can Türkiye play in it? What is Türkiye’s policy regarding the Crimean Tatars and what can be done to facilitate the release of illegally detained citizens of Ukraine in Russia and temporarily occupied territories? The panel seeks to address these questions and discuss Türkiye’s role in the region as Ukraine continues its efforts to de-occupy Crimea while fighting back against the unprovoked full-scale Russian aggression.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 02/27/2024