Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to Ukraine Melinda Simmons arrived on a working visit to Kherson region at the invitation of Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych, the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC) said.

"Britain was among the first countries to respond to the annexation attempt and consistently supported Ukraine in the international stage in the struggle for the de-occupation of Crimea. The Representative Office thanks the British Embassy in Ukraine for an important gesture of support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea said on Facebook on Thursday.

Simmons' visit started with a meeting in Kherson office of the Representative Office, after talking about the current situation with human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, the delegation went on a visit to the Kalanchak entry-exit checkpoint, that is, the administrative border between Kherson region and Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

A meeting with representatives of public organizations and initiatives that work in the Crimean direction in Kherson Regional State Administration in the evening is expected.

As noted, it is important for the representative team to inform partners about the current situation in Crimea with respect for human rights and violation of international law, the persecution of representatives of the Ukrainian community and the indigenous Crimean Tatar people by the Russian Federation and its occupation administrations.

The Representative Office said that each visit to the administrative border between Kherson region and temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is special. Since it is not only an important strategic object where citizens pass, but also the place where the Crimean people meet the Ukrainian flag and where it is possible to trace the change of state approach in caring for their own citizens who have become hostages of the occupation.

"This attention is especially important now, when a real humanitarian crisis is brewing in Crimea due to [coronavirus] COVID-19 pandemic and the violation by the occupying state, the Russian Federation, of its responsibilities to protect civilians, including with medical care. It is also important for us to show the real state of affairs to our reliable international partners like Great Britain," the office said.