Turkish ship owners have been informed that it is undesirable for their ships to call at Crimean ports, Turkey’s Ambassador to Ukraine Yonet Jan Tezel has announced, BSNews reports, citing the UNIAN news agency.
"Our institutions are responsible for regulating traffic both to Turkey and out of it. Representatives of the shipping industry, companies, and the relevant agencies have been informed about what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do. The Turkish authorities do not accept statements alleging recognition of the annexation of the Crimea. For us, the Crimea is Ukraine and there should be no doubt in this regard," said the diplomat.
At the same tie, according to him, there may be isolated cases involving violation of the existing rules because the Black Sea is quite large, many vessels are privately owned, and some of them may be rented or used by other countries or companies. However, according to him, it is important that "Turkey does not recognize the annexation of the Crimea and generally does not want to resort to actions that could legitimize what is happening with the Crimea."
