Yurii Klymenko, permanent representative of Ukraine to the UN, on Tuesday reiterated that the upcoming referendum on Crimea's status scheduled on March 16 "is illegitimate under the constitution of Ukraine."

The senior diplomat said "any local referendum on territorial issues is unconstitutional," adding Kiev was willing to resolve the Crimea issue through negotiation.

The parliament of Ukraine's autonomous republic of Crimea on Tuesday adopted a declaration of independence from Ukraine, which specifies that Crimea would become independent if around 2 million residents vote in favor of joining Russia in the upcoming referendum.

Last Thursday, the Crimean parliament voted to become part of Russia, though Ukrainian authorities dismissed the referendum as "illegal," saying it violates the legal procedures established by the constitution.

Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Alexandr Turchynov, who is also the country's acting president, signed a decree last Friday vetoing the Crimean lawmakers' decision to hold a referendum and threatened to dissolve the Crimean parliament.

Commenting on simmering tensions in Crimea, Russia last Friday said they did not expect a new cold war and that the West and Moscow should seek common ground to solve the Ukraine crisis through dialogue.

Referring to the scheduled referendum, Russia said it reflected the common will of the Crimean people.

The Crimean peninsula was transferred to Ukraine in 1954 as a gift to Kiev by then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to mark the 300th anniversary of Ukraine's merger with the Russian empire.