Turkey, which has kept a low profile in the Ukraine crisis, is making
moves to protect Crimea's ethnic Tatar minority as the region prepares
for a referendum on joining Russia this week.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to support Crimea's Turkish-speaking Tatar minority, which Ankara fears could be sidelined in a March 16 vote on switching over to Kremlin rule.
"Turkey has never left Crimean Tatars alone and will never do so," he said, after a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to protect the "rights of our kinsmen" after meeting with Ukrainian officials and representatives of the Tatar community during an unscheduled visit to Kiev earlier this month.
Kremlin-backed forces have taken de facto control of Crimea ahead of Sunday's controversial plebiscite on closer ties with Moscow, after which the peninsula is expected to be rapidly absorbed into Russian territory.
Suspicion of Moscow is high among the Tatar community, which is still scarred by memories of the en masse deportations to Central Asia carried out by dictator Joseph Stalin during World War II. Many only started returning to the peninsula in the run up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Turkish diplomats have described the referendum as "dangerous" and said it is a "wrong" step that could lead to clashes between communities in Crimea and beyond.
"We believe a referendum will not help settle the crisis in the country. The Crimean Tatar community in Turkey is worried about the situation," a Turkish official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Crimea's Tatars -- who Ankara say make up 12 percent of the population -- have maintained their Turkic language and Sunni religion, in contrast to the mostly Russian-speaking majority population.
Tatars in Turkey have held demonstrations in major cities to protest the Russian intervention in Ukraine and demand stronger action from Ankara.
Read more: Turkey fears for Tatar minority in Ukraine | GlobalPost
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to support Crimea's Turkish-speaking Tatar minority, which Ankara fears could be sidelined in a March 16 vote on switching over to Kremlin rule.
"Turkey has never left Crimean Tatars alone and will never do so," he said, after a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to protect the "rights of our kinsmen" after meeting with Ukrainian officials and representatives of the Tatar community during an unscheduled visit to Kiev earlier this month.
Kremlin-backed forces have taken de facto control of Crimea ahead of Sunday's controversial plebiscite on closer ties with Moscow, after which the peninsula is expected to be rapidly absorbed into Russian territory.
Suspicion of Moscow is high among the Tatar community, which is still scarred by memories of the en masse deportations to Central Asia carried out by dictator Joseph Stalin during World War II. Many only started returning to the peninsula in the run up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Turkish diplomats have described the referendum as "dangerous" and said it is a "wrong" step that could lead to clashes between communities in Crimea and beyond.
"We believe a referendum will not help settle the crisis in the country. The Crimean Tatar community in Turkey is worried about the situation," a Turkish official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Crimea's Tatars -- who Ankara say make up 12 percent of the population -- have maintained their Turkic language and Sunni religion, in contrast to the mostly Russian-speaking majority population.
Tatars in Turkey have held demonstrations in major cities to protest the Russian intervention in Ukraine and demand stronger action from Ankara.
Read more: Turkey fears for Tatar minority in Ukraine | GlobalPost
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