Kiev demands explanations from Ankara over Yalta delegation taking part in forum in Turkey
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demanded explanations from Turkey over the participation of Yalta’s delegation in the United Cities and Local Governments meeting, which took place in Turkey earlier, TASS reports.
"We take this situation with extreme seriousness," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on social media. According to Nikolenko, the Foreign Ministry has already requested official explanations from the Turkish side regarding the status of representatives of the Yalta Administration. He added that, according to his information, a potential agreement on making Yalta a sister city of an Istanbul municipal district was discussed during the meeting.
After the February 2014 coup in Ukraine, the Crimean authorities held a referendum on reuniting with Russia. Most voters supported the idea (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol), with turnout reaching 80%. In March 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on Crimea’s reunification with Russia on March 18, 2014, which was ratified by the Federal Assembly on March 21, 2014.
