The
Russian top diplomat has assured that "Russia is a peaceful country which
has no territorial claims against
its neighbors".
MOSCOW,
March 28. /TASS/. Moscow’s efforts are aimed at preventing a new round of
violence in southeastern Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said
in an interview with Russia’s Argumenty i Fakty weekly.
"Russia
is a peaceful country, we have no territorial claims against our
neighbors," he assured. "We are interested in being surrounded by
stable and prosperous countries with whom we can build a partnership in the
spirit of good-neighborliness. At the same time, our efforts have been aimed at
preventing ‘hotheads’ in Kiev from launching another round of violence in the
southeast of that country. Anyway, we will not leave residents of the Donbass
region high and dry."
"Today
it is obvious that the peace process has stalled because of the Ukrainian
leaders’ reluctance to honor their obligations under the Minsk
agreements," the top diplomat emphasized. "We will push ahead with
efforts to make sure that Kiev stops the blockade of Donbass and embarks on
their full-fledged implementation. We expect a similar approach on the part of
Western nations, which have repeatedly stated that there is no alternative to
the Minsk accords and pointed of the need of their early implementation."
According to Lavrov, while seeking the early implementation of the Minsk agreements, Moscow proceeds from the assumption that "a long-term solution to the problems related to the deep crisis that hit Ukraine can only be found by political and diplomatic means."
"The
Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements of February
12, 2015, was approved by the UN Security Council, which passed the
corresponding Resolution 2202 on February 17, 2015," the minister
recalled. "We are confident that there is no alternative to the Minsk
[accords] today, and the West agrees with that."
"The
main thing envisaged by the Minsk agreements is direct dialogue between Kiev,
Donetsk and Lugansk," Russia’s top diplomat said. "Neither Russia,
nor the new US president, nor anyone else can do anything for the warring sides
other than what the settlement really depends on - reaching an agreement with
each other directly on mutual security guarantees and the principles of
building a joint future."
Source: ITAR-TASS 29-03-2017
