Ukraine summit seeks to return Crimea issue to world spotlight

By Talha Yavuz

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – Ukraine wants to return the issue of Russian-occupied Crimea to the world spotlight through a new summit, said the country’s deputy foreign minister on Monday.

The main goal of the Crimean Platform Summit, set to be held in the capital Kyiv on Aug. 23, is to consolidate and coordinate international efforts aimed at restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and returning Crimea to the international agenda, Emine Dzhaparova told Anadolu Agency.

The illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 wounded the Ukrainian state, and is a glaring example of the fragility of the global security system, she said, adding that concentrated national and international efforts and mechanisms to address the problem are needed.

Calling the launching of the platform and holding of the summit a success for Ukraine, Dzhaparova underlined that the platform has numerous tasks, including improving the international policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea, boosting the effectiveness of sanctions, containing the militarization of the peninsula and its adjacent waters, and countering its negative impact on regional security.

On international participation at the summit, she said that some 40 foreign delegations, including the Polish and Estonian presidents and the head of the European Council, have confirmed their participation in the summit as of Monday.

High-level representation is expected from the US, NATO, and from a number of their member states, she added.

Praising Turkey’s stance on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Dzhaparova stressed that Ukraine anticipates Turkey’s participation in all activities of the platform, including working groups and expert network sessions and projects.

Russian forces entered the Crimean Peninsula on February 2014, with President Vladimir Putin formally dividing the region into two separate federal subjects of the Russian Federation the following month.

Turkey and the US, as well as the UN General Assembly, view the annexation as illegal.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara