Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Turkey mobilizes for Crimea after 160 years - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey mobilizes for Crimea after 160 years

The Crimean peninsula, scene of one of most important military struggles of the last years of the Ottoman Empire, has made a surprising comeback to the world scene after the events in Ukraine. Russia's moves of sending troops to Crimea, in an effort to sever it from Ukraine, prompted Ankara and Western capitals to react. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutolgu, who went to Kiev last Friday, met with the former speaker of the Tatar National Assembly, Mustafa Abdulcemil Kirimoglu, and declared: “If the term is appropriate, we are in 'mobilization' to defend the rights of our kin in Crimea by doing whatever is necessary.”

More:Turkey mobilizes for Crimea after 160 years - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East