Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reassured his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko that Ankara will continue to recognize the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia, as Ukrainian territory.



The Ukrainian presidential press service said on August 20 that Erdogan told Poroshenko via telephone that Turkey has not changed its "unwavering position regarding its support of Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity in the country's internationally recognized borders."



Erdogan added that Ankara would not recognize "Crimea's occupation" and would continue to support "the Crimean Tatars in every possible way."



The Poroshenko-Erdogan conversation comes less than two weeks after an Erdogan visit to Russia restored Ankara's relations with the Kremlin that had reached a low point following last year's shooting down of a Russian warplane by Turkish fighter jets.



The two leaders also discussed bilateral energy-sector cooperation and the recent terrorist bomb attacks in eastern Turkey.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax