The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people has confirmed its recognition of Ukraine as a sovereign and independent state within its existing borders and strongly condemned an act of aggression on the part of the Russian Federation and a plan on the annexation of Crimea, considering these actions as a gross violation of international law and destabilizing the existing system of international relations.

An address to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the whole Ukrainian nation – Ukrainian citizens of all nationalities, which was published on the Web site of the Mejlis on Saturday, notes that the Mejlis does not recognize the Crimean referendum of March 16, 2014, "held to change the territorial affiliation of Crimea" as "legitimate and consistent with international law and the Constitution of Ukraine."

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people categorically rejected any attempt to determine the future of Crimea without the free will of the Crimean Tatar people and also noted that "the right to decide in which country the Crimean Tatar people should live belongs exclusively to the Crimean Tatars."

"We're confident that the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and the realization of their right to self-determination in their historical homeland should be carried out as part of a sovereign and independent Ukrainian state. We believe that any authorities in Crimea should be formed and exercise their activities only in the event of the freely expressed will and consent of the Crimean Tatar people," reads the address.