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Latvian, German FMs discuss regional security situation

Xinhua, February 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and his visiting German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier met here on Thursday to discuss developments in Ukraine and prepare for the upcoming meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Rinkevics said every political and diplomatic effort must be made to ensure a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and that new ways and formats must be sought to achieve that goal.

The Minsk agreements remain the basis for ending the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the Latvian minister said.

Steinmeier said that the situation in Ukraine could not be improved by sending weapons to the region.

"We see that the Minsk agreements are not being implemented. We remain in an unchangingly serious situation as there have been very many victims of violence in eastern Ukraine lately," said Steinmeier.

"The position I share with (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel is that the current situation cannot be improved or changed by shipping more weapons to the region," said Steinmeier.

Rinkevics said hopes still remained for a political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

A debate on stepping up sanctions against Russia is ongoing among EU member states as the bloc hopes to reach an agreement on adding more names to the list of the sanctioned people in Russia by the Feb. 9 meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Steinmeier, a member of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), became Germany's foreign minister in December 2013. Endit