Off the wire
• Eurozone inflation rate down to -0.2 pct in Dec.  • EU, Morocco strike deal on promoting trade relations  • Singapore printer refuses to print Charlie Hebdo's latest cover in The Economist magazine  • Interview: China attracts more attention due to growing weight in global matters: Schwab  • Struggling Granada sack coach Caparros  • Newly-appointed tourism official under investigation  • Strike forces South African miner to suspend operations  • Chinese, Monacan leaders exchange congratulations on anniversary of ties  • Africa Economy: Plunging oil prices hurts Africa's growth: expert  • Public transport fares to nearly double in Riga  
You are here: 　 Home

Moscow hopes military mobilization in Ukraine not to undermine peace progress

Xinhua, January 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Moscow hopes the recent military mobilization in eastern Ukraine would not result in more armed hostilities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"Any actions tied to military preparedness won't help the process made by the contact group or under the Normandy format," Lavrov told reporters following talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Bernard Membe.

"Russia hopes that all of these announcements (of Kiev authorities) won't lead to the collapse (of the existing peaceful agreements) and into new armed confrontations," said Lavrov.

Kiev's recent actions undermined "spirit and letter" of the Minsk agreements reached last September, as well as Monday's declaration adopted by foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France after a "Normandy-format" dialogue, an online Russian foreign ministry statement quoted Lavrov as saying.

"Hopefully, common sense would prevail in Kiev administration and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wouldn't yield to the attempts of the 'party of war' to undermine Minsk agreements," Lavrov said.

Poroshenko on Wednesday signed a decree to call up at least 50,000 military reservists, as fighting in the country's eastern regions has intensified shortly after New Year holidays, adding to worries that a ceasefire signed between the two warring sides last September may collapse.

Poroshenko said earlier on Friday that regrouping of the army is underway while additional units are deployed "at the most dangerous spots", according to Ukrainian presidential press service.

Moreover, Lavrov confirmed that efforts are currently being made to gather a new round of contact group meeting.

While reiterating Russia's readiness to take part in a possible Normandy dialogue planned in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the minister stressed that positive progress should be made first and foremost on an unconditional ceasefire.

According to Kremlin press service, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed with the Security Council "preparations for a possible meeting in the Normandy format." Endi