Turkey Condemns Russia’s Actions in Ukraine and Georgia

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Oct. 9, 2014Turkey on Tuesday said nothing can justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states, in a rare strong criticism of its increasingly close ally ahead of a NATO meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, whose country is a key member of NATO, said Ankara was prepared to play a “constructive role” in the disputes between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

But he said: “Nothing can justify what Russia has been doing in its neighbourhood.”

“Ukraine. Crimea. Georgia,” he said, referring to the fighting in Ukraine, Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its recognition of two breakaway regions of Georgia after a 2008 war.

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Image: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Oct. 9, 2014 (photo: NATO)