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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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10Feb17
Escalation in Donbass manifests Kiev's gross violation of Minsk agreements - Lavrov
Escalating tensions in Donbass manifest a gross violation of the Minsk agreements by Kiev and confirms unwillingness of the Kiev authorities to solve problems peacefully, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Izvestia daily on Friday.
"What we see now is a gross violation by Ukraine of its commitments under the Minsk agreements, which it is not going to implement in all appearances," the minister said. "Instead of efforts towards achieving a stable peace, the Kiev authorities are stubbornly trying to achieve a military solution to the conflict. The outcome of this adventurism for them in 2014-2015 is well known," Lavrov added.
He said radical and nationalist forces in Kiev are responsible for the worsening of the situation seen along the whole line of contact in Donbass. "This is documented in reports of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission," the diplomat added.
According to Lavrov, "Kiev's actions confirm its unwillingness to opt for the peaceful settlement of the problems". "On the whole, the question emerges - how the Ukrainian authorities see a road to peace in their country if they consistently destroy people who they seem to consider their fellow countrymen," he went on.
"If the Kiev rulers indeed want the settlement of the conflict, they have only one way out - to immediately stop armed provocations, to comply with the existing agreements on the ceasefire and to finally start implementing all provisions of the Minsk Package of Measures, including those that concern political aspects of the settlement," Lavrov said.
The Minsk agreements have no alternative, the diplomat stressed. "Our contacts with foreign partners, first of all in the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, Ukraine and France) as well as with the US, show that for all differences in views regarding the situation in Ukraine, we are at one as to a need for a dialog between the sides in the conflict with an aim to search for accord and compromise," the Russian diplomat added.
"As for the prospects - the ball is in the Kiev's court," he went on. "Nobody can implement political demands of the Minsk Package of Measures for the Ukrainian authorities - passing the law on a special status, on local elections in Donbass, having a constitutional reform," Lavrov said, noting that these are the moves "of key importance for achieving peace in Ukraine".
[Source: Itar Tass, Moscow, 10Feb17]
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Radio Nizkor
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