Turkey closed its ports to ships from Crimea
The Turkish government has issued a decision to prohibit the Turkish ports to take ships arriving from Crimea and its ports.
"Turkish ports, marine agents, operators and ship owners are officially informed that ships arriving from Crimea and its ports are not allowed to enter our country [Turkey], and no permits are provided for sailing from these ports. In addition, the tough control system is introduced," spokeswoman for Ukraine's prosecutor general Larysa Sarhan wrote on her Facebook page on Thursday, according to Interfax Agency.
Sarhan said that the introduction of these rules is the consequence of spread practice when ships violating legislation recently provide Turkish marine and port authorities with false information about their destination ports.
She also said that the document sent to the Turkish maritime and port authorities separately emphasizes that "these actions apply fully and without exception, despite the owner, the flags of the ships and the fact whether they are loaded or not."
She said that the document was sent after a visit of Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko to Ankara late September, when he held a number of official meetings, in particular in the Turkish Ministry of Justice. He also met with the chief prosecutor of Ankara. Then the parties discussed legal cooperation and cooperation to prevent and suppress Russia's permanent violations of international maritime law, as well as illegal maritime links with the occupied Crimea.