Turkey, Ukraine boost ties amid growing tension with Russia

Turkey and Ukraine have deepened political, military and economic ties through consecutive high-level visits following the Turkish military's downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015 and the deterioration in ties between Ankara and Moscow. 

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was in Ankara on March 9 for a high-level strategic cooperation council meeting as the guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, only three weeks after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu paid a snap visit to Kiev.

On the same day as Davuto?lu was in Kiev to hold talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian Chief of General Staff Viktor Muzhenko met with his Turkish counterpart Gen. Hulusi Akar, in a sign of intensified military and defense relations. 

Both countries are at odds with Russia both in Eurasia and in the Middle East. Russia's occupation and later annexation of Crimea from Ukraine has strained relations between Kiev and Moscow, as well as Russia's relations with the West. 

Turkey has also joined the West in saying that it would never recognize the annexation of Crimea, with Davuto?lu saying during his recent trip to Kiev that "Crimea is part of Ukraine." 

In Ankara, Poroshenko also held separate meetings with Parliament Speaker ?smail Kahraman at parliament and Prime Minister Davuto?lu at the Çankaya Palace. Davuto?lu's meeting with the Ukrainian president lasted around two-and-half hours. Poroshenko was accompanied by Crimean Tatar representative Abdülcemil K?r?mo?lu and R?fat Çubarov, the head of the World Crimean Tatars Congress and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. 

The situation of Crimean Tatars was discussed in detail during the meetings.

Fifth high-level strategic meeting