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29 November 2016, 16:36

Normandy Four ministerial meeting on Ukraine in Minsk

MINSK, 29 November (BelTA) – The meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France opened at the President Hotel in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

Lavrov: No breakthroughs during the Minsk talks on UkraineLavrov: No breakthroughs during the Minsk talks on Ukraine
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov made the statement after the four-way meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany in Minsk on 29 November, BelTA has learned.

Lavrov stresses importance of different formats of talks on UkraineLavrov stresses importance of different formats of talks on Ukraine
We agreed that the work will be continued both in the 'Normandy format', at the level of experts, lawyers, military experts, diplomatic representatives and also in the contact group and its working groups, the Russian minister said.

Steinmeier: Normandy Four talks on Ukraine were difficultSteinmeier: Normandy Four talks on Ukraine were difficult
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the parties are still far from a political agreement that would pave the way for local elections in the region.

Klimkin: No desired results on roadmap, talks will continueKlimkin: No desired results on roadmap, talks will continue
When talking to reporters, Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin said that the discussion on the roadmap had not produced the desired results, and the talks on the roadmap would continue in various formats, according to RBK-Ukraine.

Klimkin on possible change of Minsk venue: Let's not make things upKlimkin on possible change of Minsk venue: Let
Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin urged not to speculate on the possible change of the Minsk venue.

Ukraine insists on hostage release, Red Cross access to Donbass areaUkraine insists on hostage release, Red Cross access to Donbass area
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs said: “We have agreed that we will continue insisting on unhindered access of the Red Cross and other international humanitarian organizations. Without this access we will be unable to move forward.”

Normandy Four talks in Minsk expected to secure progress in trilateral contact group on UkraineNormandy Four talks in Minsk expected to secure progress in trilateral contact group on Ukraine
In particular, Martin Sajdik said he expects that a number of humanitarian issues will be resolved and that humanitarian problems will be high on the agenda of the next meeting of the trilateral contact group on Ukraine in Minsk. “It is very important and all of us understand it,” he said.

French Foreign Minister: Still huge work to be done on Ukraine ceasefire process
Jean-Marc Ayrault noted after four-way talks between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine that talks had not broken down altogether.

Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov, Pavlo Klimkin, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Jean-Marc Ayrault have arrived in Minsk to participate in the talks.

The agenda of the meeting was not announced beforehand. A number of media outlets suggested that the talks would discuss a roadmap to resolve the situation in the south-east of Ukraine. The Normandy Four leaders gave an instruction to draw up such a roadmap at a meeting in Berlin on 19 October.

Earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that, in accordance with the Berlin agreements, the roadmap must be based on the principle of “synchronous actions in ensuring security and advancing political reforms” under the Minsk accords of 12 February 2015, according to TASS.

Work on the implementation of the agreements on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine has been slow. However, it should be continued in spite of all the difficulties, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier said when speaking at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum. All these [various aspects of work on Minsk] are difficult, but, in my experience, we have no other choice but to commit ourselves to address these issues, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

As BelTA reported earlier, on 19 October Berlin played host to the meeting of the Normandy Four presidents: Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. No documents were signed at the end of the meeting. The parties, however, agreed to draw up a roadmap, which, as Angela Merkel told a press conference, should be prepared and submitted for discussion within the ongoing month.

“All the participants of today's meeting noted that the Minsk agreements should be used as the basis for the settlement of the situation in south-east Ukraine. All the parties confirmed their commitment to these agreements,” Vladimir Putin told reporters. Other participants of the meeting gave similar comments.

Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and Petro Poroshenko spent 17 hours in talks in Minsk in February 2015. The negotiations resulted in the Minsk Agreements that laid the basis for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Relevant matters are regularly discussed by the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine in the Belarusian capital.

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