Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has initiated setting up a working group within the framework of the Constitutional Commission to develop amendments to the Constitution concerning the right of Crimean Tatars to self-determination.

"Though late but we've recognized the need to create in Crimea the ethnic autonomous republic of Crimean Tatars to fully guarantee equal rights and freedoms to ethnic Ukrainians, Russians, and other peninsula ethnicities. We must start a process in the parliament of Ukraine to put changes to Section 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which would fully proceed from the inalienable right of the Crimean Tatar people to self-determination as part of the sovereign and independent Ukrainian state," he said.

The president assured he would appeal to the Constitutional Commission with the request in the near future to create an ad hoc group with the participation of members of the Commission, representatives of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, experts to prepare amendments to the relevant section of the Constitution of Ukraine.

"Crimea was, is and will remain an integral part of Ukraine, while the criminal country will be forced to return the stolen," he said.