STATEMENT BY MITHAT RENDE

AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TURKEY TO THE OECD

ON THE OCCASION OF THE ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC, MIROSLAV LAJČÁK

17 FEBRUARY 2015

-Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, I would like to warmly welcome you to the OECD and thank you for having addressed the Council on an issue which is of common concern to all Member States.

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We agree with your general assessment of the situation in Ukraine and welcome the important and constructive role Slovakia has played under your leadership with respect to the crisis in Ukraine.

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Being situated in the immediate neighbourhood of a tormented region, facing directly the consequences of the conflicts beyond its southern borders and hosting nearly 1.6 million refugees, Turkey understands and relates to the concerns of Slovakia as regards a possible spillover of the crisis in Ukraine.

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With respect to Ukraine, Turkey and Slovakia share similar concerns and support similar remedies. We, too, are for a peaceful resolution of the crisis based on Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.

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We welcome the agreement reached in Minsk. It is encouraging to see that peaceful means have been given a chance. We hope that it will pave the way for a reconciliation on the basis of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Although there are reports of continued fighting, we hope that all parties will abide by their commitments and the conditions of the ceasefire.

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In this context let me also stress that Turkey does not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

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Unfortunately the Crimean Tatars have been subjected to heavy pressure and oppression by the local Russian authorities since last May. We have handed over a long list of human rights violations to the Russian authorities and requested immediate action to be taken to remedy the situation.

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While efforts are being deployed to restore peace and security, we believe that the conflict in Eastern Ukraine should not overshadow and lead us to forget and neglect the illegal annexation of Crimea and the dire situation of its indigenous people.

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For a lasting peaceful settlement to be reached- on the basis of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, we also believe that channels of communication and dialogue should be kept open with the Russian Federation.

Your Excellency,

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Turkey and Slovakia enjoy excellent relations. The intensity of mutual high level visits between our countries over the last few years, including your visit to Turkey last December, testifies to the dynamic nature of our relations.

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One area where both countries are willing to increase cooperation is energy. Turkey has recently emerged as an important energy player due not only to its rapidly growing domestic energy market but also to its geography and the key role it plays for enhancing the energy security of Europe through diversification of routes and resources.

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To this end major pipeline projects have been realized in the last decade, making it possible to conceive the Southern Gas Corridor which will constitute the fourth artery for the gas supplies to Europe.

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In parallel with Turkey’s growing role in energy, I would also like to inform Your Excellency that as part of Turkey’s G20 presidency, a G20 Energy Ministers meeting will be organized for the first time in İstanbul on 1-2 October 2015.

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To conclude, we are pleased that OECD is very much engaged in the work and activities of the G20 and continues to provide significant contributions to the G20.

Thank you