Turkey will close the Bosphorus for Russian ships, if there is violence against the Crimean Tatars, said Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan.



In a phone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin, quoted by a diplomatic source, Erdogan also said that Turkey will not recognize the referendum in Crimea in which 97% of the voters cast their ballots in favour of joining the Russian Federation.



“Turkey wants Ukraine to keep its territorial integrity,” Erdogan said. “If NATO takes a decision on the matter, we will certainly stick with it.”



Earlier Erdogan had a phone conversation with the leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev in which they discussed the threats against the Tatars in connection to the factual annexation of Crimea.