Turkey rejects moves resembling
'witch-hunt' against Russian people, writers, students and artists, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement on Wednesday.
'
Fascist practices' followed by Western nations against innocent Russians cast a shadow over
Ukraine's 'legitimate struggle' in resisting Russian troops by fueling a "climate of hatred and grudges and sowing new grievances, the Turkish leader stressed in his address to the ruling
AK Party lawmakers during a weekly parliamentary meeting while referring to Germany's Munich Philharmonic firing a
Russian conductor over his support for Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
"Just as we would not abandon
Ukraine, we also do not accept actions akin to a witch-hunt against the Russian people, literature, students or artists," Erdoğan told the lawmakers.
"International organizations fell short taking action over
war zones, especially
UN Security Council," Erdoğan underlined in his remarks.
ERDOĞAN BLASTS WEST FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST REFUGEES
On refugees fleeing the war in
Ukraine, amid reports some African and Asian
refugees have been held back, Erdoğan stated that a mindset that discriminates against the
oppressed based on their religion, national origin, or skin colour has nothing to do with humanity or civilization.
"
Turkey never classified those fleeing war and
persecution according to their language, religion or skin colour," Erdoğan said in a statement.
Turkey has been hosting over 4 million
refugees, most of them coming from war-torn
Syria, more than any country in the world.
ANTALYA DIPLOMACY FORUM EXPECTED TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR PERMANENT CEASEFIRE
With the Russian, Ukrainian, and Turkish foreign ministers set to hold a meeting this week in Turkiye's southern resort city of Antalya, Erdoğan also stressed Turkey's strenuous diplomatic efforts to end the war.
He said he hoped the meeting, set to be held on the eve of the three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum, would "open the door" for a permanent cease-fire in Ukraine.
