After their visit to Crimea through April 27-30, an unofficial Turkish delegation has confirmed the statements of Ukraine that the Crimean Tartars have been subjected to arbitrary treatment by the de facto authorities ever since Crimea was occupied by Russia, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.

"The report of the unofficial Turkish delegation on the state of Crimean Tatars after the illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by Russia clearly showed that Russia had turned the occupied peninsula into the territory of arbitrary treatment, permissiveness and intolerance," reads the statement issued by the ministry on Thursday

The ministry noted the credibility and fairness of the report despite the tremendous pressure on the delegation members.

"Confidence meetings of delegation members with the representatives of the Crimean Tatar people didn't only confirm the globally recognized fact: in Crimea, Russian occupation authorities are realizing the policy of full-scale and systematic violations of human rights, including [policies] based on ethnicity. The document clearly states that those surveyed had feared for their lives and safety because of the threat from the so-called Crimean authorities," the foreign ministry said.

According to the ministry, the key aspect of the report was pointing out the current environment that, in fact, makes all Crimean people become Russian citizens and refuse Ukrainian citizenship.

"It's said that those, who refused to become Russian citizens, are threatened with harsh treatment, losing [their] basic social rights, [and they face] confiscation of property and deportation. However, Crimean citizens that refuse to abandon their Ukrainian citizenship are constantly discriminated [against] by the occupation authorities," the ministry said.