Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 22 January (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to host the contact group on Ukraine in any format, spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Mironchik told reporters on 22 January, BelTA has learned.

“We welcome any steps and agreements that can promote speedy settlement of the conflict. If needed, we are ready to organize the work of the contact group in any configuration and format that the negotiating parties agree on. Belarus’ stance on this issue remains unchanged: we will do everything we can to facilitate the resolution of the conflict,” Dmitry Mironchik said.

As was informed, the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France held the "Normandy Format" talks on 21 January to discuss the possible ways out of the crisis. The parties agreed to support the task of urgent withdrawal of heavy artillery from the line of contact set out in the Minsk Protocol of 19 September and also to intensify the work of the contact group. The Normandy format adopted a recommendation that the contact group should intensify its work and set up a necessary number of working sub-groups. According to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the decision institutionalizes the format of the contact group, in which representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk communicate directly with the Kiev authorities.