Turkey does not intend to participate in the punitive measures imposed on Russia in relation to the military operation in Ukraine, according to the Foreign Minister of the Eurasian country, Mevlut Cavusoglu.
“We do not participate in this type of sanctions in general as a matter of principle. We are also not willing to get involved now,” the Anadolu agency quoted the Turkish foreign minister as saying.
Following the start of the special military operation launched last Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, a number of Western countries announced their decision to impose new sanctions against Russia.
On Sunday, EU member states agreed to freeze about half of the financial assets of the Russian Central Bank. According to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the sanctions “will have a strong impact on the Russian financial system.”
Meanwhile, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada agreed on Saturday to remove some Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank system.
Also, the EU and several other countries closed their airspace for Russian flights and prohibited the supply of aircraft and parts to the market of the Slavic country.
