Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan still had an invitation from Moscow to visit Crimea to personally assess the situation with the Crimean Tatars and their rights.
"In this part, we strongly disagree with our Turkish partners, we disagree with the language used in this context, we have repeatedly talked about the groundlessness of any concerns about the Crimean Tatars", Peskov told reporters when asked to comment on Erdogan's remarks.
According to Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly discussed with the Turkish leader the real situation around the Crimean Tatars and their rights.
"President Erdogan has a valid invitation from President Putin to visit Crimea and see everything authentically", the spokesman added.
The Crimean Peninsula rejoined Russia after nearly 97 percent of voters supported the move in the referendum, held in March 2014. The majority of Western countries, as well as Ukraine, have not recognised the referendum results and imposed sanctions on Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that Crimea's residents decided to rejoin Russia through a democratic procedure, as the referendum was conducted in compliance with international law, and the rights of all peoples on the peninsula are respected. According to Putin, the issue of the peninsula's territorial belonging is "historically closed."
