Erdogan's rival for the post of president of Turkey recognized Crimea as Russian

According to RIA Novosti, Perincek submitted an application to The Supreme Election Commission of Turkey to participate in the presidential elections scheduled for May 14.

"I strongly stressed that Crimea is part of the territory of the Russian Federation", - Perincek said.

The politician added that his party also recognizes new regions as Russian.

According to RBC, in order to continue the election race, Perincek, as a potential candidate, needs to collect 100,000 signatures of voters in support of his nomination.

The Rodina party is distinguished by its anti-Western rhetoric aimed at confrontation with the United States.