Crimean authorities: Turkey's refusal to accept ships from Crimea is a 'political statement' against Russia
The head of the Kremlin-controlled Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, believes that the decision by Turkish leadership to ban the reception of ships from the closed ports of the Russian-annexed Crimea will not affect the economy of the peninsula in any way. He told journalists about this in Simferopol, RIA Krym reports.
"By and large, this [the ban on receiving ships in Crimea] doesn't affect us in any way. Even before that, we did not particularly have a freight flow with them [Turkey]. These are all political statements, so there is no need to pay much attention to them," the speaker asserted.
The Spokesperson for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (GPU), Larisa Sargan, reported on October 12 that the leadership of the Chamber of Shipping of the Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry had sent a circular letter to all subjects of shipping and port business titled "Certain Principles of Navigation in the Black Sea and Crimea Regions."
Turkish ports, maritime agents, operators and ship-owners were officially informed that "vessels arriving from the region of the annexed Crimea and its ports are not allowed to enter Turkey, and permission to sail from the ports of this region is not provided."
In late September, Attorney General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko handed over a list of ships that enter the closed ports of the Russian-annexed Crimea to the Turks during a meeting in Ankara with the leadership of the Turkish Ministry of Justice.
The entry of ships under foreign flags into closed seaports and terminals of the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol is considered by Ukraine to be a violation of international law and an action that undermines the sovereignty of the country, as well as a violation of Ukrainian legislation. Such actions entail the culpability of ship-owners, operators and shipmasters, including liability to prosecution.