KIEV, Ukraine
Turkey is ready to step up and diffuse the tension in Crimea, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said.
Davutoglu met interim President Oleksandr Turchynov, in Ukraine on Saturday, along with Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk.
"Across all of the international platforms, such as the United Nations, and European Council, everyone must take responsibility to decrease the tension in Crimea," said Davutoglu.
Davutoglu stressed the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity, and the continuation of dialogue.
"All of the problems in Crimea must be solved under the territorial unity of Ukraine. Crimea plays the role of a bridge between Ukraine and Turkey; the peace in Crimea will be essential for the entire geography," Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu addressed all the religious and ethnic groups in Crimea saying that it is going through "tough times."
"Let's keep Crimea as the land of peace, everyone must work together to establish this aim, for a better future."
Ukraine’s acting Foreign Minister Andrey Deshitsa added: "We will develop the relations between Turkey and Ukraine. Unfortunately, Crimea is not stable at the moment, and tensions are increasing, we are hoping to find a solution," he said.
Meanwhile, president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, expressed his concerns on his visit to Germany on Saturday, saying that "the situation in Crimea is not acceptable in the 21st century of Europe."
"The most important lesson in EU history is that, security cannot be established by building walls. Security can only be established by the integration of different groups, and this is the value that EU carries."
Turchynov said that it is against Ukraine's constitution to appoint Sergey Aksenov as prime minister of Crimea.
Aksenov issued a press release on Saturday saying that the police and army is under his control. “I asked Russia’s President Vladimir Putin step up for peace in Crimea.”
Pro-Russian Aksenov was appointed on February 27 as the leader of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea parliament, backed by the majority of lawmakers.
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