MOSCOW
A resurgence of Cold War mentality in the world is something to be feared of as it can damage every joint political and security mechanism built in the last 20 years, Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday.
"It is our hope that the relations between Russia and Ukraine will normalize following the presidential election in Ukraine," he told a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow after the fourth meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group.
He said Turkey's position regarding the situation in Ukraine supports the territorial integrity of the country and suggests inclusive constitutional reforms embracing all parties of the conflict.
As to the condition of Crimean Tatars, Davutoglu reiterated that Turkey considers them as the indigenous population of the peninsula.
"What is important is the peaceful co-existence of all groups in the Crimean peninsula, which historically possessed a multi-cultural structure," he said.
Davutoglu said a revival of Cold War behaviors in the world and specifically in the Black Sea basin would not serve to any country's interest.
"Turkey places strong emphasis on the protection of permanent stability within the frame of all treaties including the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits," he said.
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the relations between Turkey and Russia, which, he says, can serve as a model for other countries.
"We can evaluate the Ukraine and Syria issues with mutual understanding. This is a characteristic of the Turkey-Russia relations," Lavrov said.
He said Russia would maintain dialogue with the self-governing congress of the Crimean Tatars.
"For the preservation of the Crimean Tatar culture, centres, schools and theatres will be opened," he said.
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