Ukraine Minister Displeased With BBC Host Qualifying Crimea As Russian Territory - Deputy

Ukraine's Information Policy Minister Yuriy Stets has written a letter to BBC Director-General Tony Hall expressing discontent with a BBC piece on health resorts in "Russian Crimea," Emine Dzhaparova, first deputy minister of information policy, said on Friday.

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th September, 2018) Ukraine's Information Policy Minister Yuriy Stets has written a letter to BBC Director-General Tony Hall expressing discontent with a BBC piece on health resorts in "Russian Crimea," Emine Dzhaparova, first deputy minister of information policy, said on Friday.

According to Ukrainian media reports, in late August, an episode of "Russia with Simon Reeve" documentary was broadcast on BBC, in which Reeve focused on health resorts in "Russian Crimea" and on the implementation of the Russian Heath Ministry's programs aimed to provide healthcare to local citizens.

"[Here is] the letter from Yuriy Stets to the BBC director-general, concerning the broadcast of the program of Simon Reeve who traveled to Crimea and talked about the peninsula as of Russian territory. He [Reeve] focuses on 'inclusion,' not occupation, and is 'glad' about the existing reality, condemning Ukraine," Dzhaparova's Facebook post read.

She went on to say that Russia was attempting to "fix the Crimean status" by inviting famous journalists, actors and singers there.

According to Dzhaparova, the Ukrainian diplomatic officials will soon deliver the letter to Hall, and the Information Policy Ministry will be waiting for his reply.

Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014, when over 96 percent of the peninsula's inhabitants voted in favor for this move in a referendum. Although Russia said that the referendum was held in compliance with international law, Kiev still considers the peninsula as its temporary occupied territory, while the majority of the Western states also refuse to recognize the reunification.