Turkey urges canceling the referendum in Crimea, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on March 11. Ankara is doing everything possible to find ways to politically settle the situation in Crimea, he said.

The Crimean parliament has voted that the Black Sea peninsula will declare itself an independent state if its residents vote to split off from Ukraine and join Russia in a referendum on Sunday.

U.S. President Barack Obama voiced support a week ago for Moldova’s European aspirations amid the West’s intense standoff with Russia over the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.