World Bulletin / News Desk

A Turkish delegation paid two-day visit to Crimea to attend the First World Congress of the Crimean Tatars and to oversee the projects being carried out in the region by The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), Turkish state media said.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Meral Aksener, State Minister Faruk Celik, TIKA President Musa Kulaklıkaya joined the delegation and held formal talks.

Celik and an accompanying delegation held official talks with the members of the Crimea's Parliament, the Crimean Cabinet and the Crimean Tatar National Assembly. Anatoliy Gritsenko, Speakefr of the Crimean Parliament and Crimean Prime Minister Viktor Plakida informed the Delegation that a series of legal measures had been taken to facilitate the return of the exiled community and to strengthen their integration into society, TIKA said on its website.

Homeland

"Turkey always wants to see the Ukraine a politically stable and economically prosperous country. Crimean Tatars have served as a bridge to move bilateral friendship and co-operation forward between Turkey and the Ukraine," report quoted Aksener and Celik as saying.

Celik further stated that these Crimean Tatars had returned to their traditional homeland over the last decade, have been playing historic roles in establishing political stability and Turkey would continue its contribution towards their integration into society."

Celik quoted as sayingthat "our brothers, who have returned to their traditional homeland over the last decade, are today organizing the First World Congress of the Crimean Tatars and this has great significance."