The head of the Russian Republic of Chechnya in the Caucasus, Ramzan Kadyrov, has called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to decide whether to support terrorism or normal Russian-Turkish relations.
"I openly address the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: decide!" Kadyrov erote on his Telegram account.
"Either you gain the status of a state that publicly supports terrorists, or you support transparent and honest relations with the Russian Federation, without changing your beliefs behind its back," he continued.
The Chechen leader even threatened Turkey with an "equivalent response", namely to immortalise in the Chechen capital of Grozny the name of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Abdullah Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence in a Turkish prison.
According to Kadyrov, who has repeatedly stated publicly that he is a "simple soldier in the army of Russian General Vladimir Putin," said that as long as gangs find refuge in Turkey, "We reserve the right to retaliate against the names of terrorists."
The Chechen governor also addressed the Russian Foreign Ministry, saying that the current actions of the Turkish authorities "pose a direct threat to the Russian-Turkish relations, which have been developing for centuries."
He stressed that there needs to be care and that "preventive diplomatic measures should be taken."
Kadyrov was outraged by the recent inauguration of a park in the Turkish city of Körfez in honour of Dzhokhar Dudayev, the leader of the Chechen separatists who has been accused of tolerating or participating in terrorist attacks.
He was killed in a Russian intelligence operation in 1996.
READ MORE: The myths and truths of Greek-Russian relations.