Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has responded to the latest criticism, voiced by the Russian foreign minister, of Turkish-Ukrainian relations as regards trade in strike drones.
This is about the deal involving the sale to Ukraine of Bayraktar UAVs, ntv.com.tr reports.
"No one should be offended by our sale of drones to Ukraine. This is trade. The agreement with Ukraine was concluded many years ago," the head of the Turkish diplomacy emphasized.
Cavusoglu recalled that Russia, for its part, "supplies missiles to Syria and other countries," which the Turkish side "never questioned," the report notes.
Read alsoUkraine flies first Turkish-made strike drone over DonbasTurkey said their support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine was a matter of principle. Istanbul also reaffirmed their position on the temporary occupation of Crimea, in particular regarding the support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
"Our position on Crimea is well-known. We also talk about this with the Russians. We say that the solution lies in the political plane," Cavusoglu added.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Turkey and other countries to refrain from steps that he said "feed the militaristic sentiments of the Ukrainian government."
