Chinese envoy urges political solution to Ukraine crisis

A Chinese envoy to the United Nations Tuesday urged a political solution in addressing the Ukraine issue, showing support of a UN Security Council resolution.

"China supports Resolution 2202 that was just adopted by the council," said Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN at a Security Council meeting.

The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing measures for the implementation of the new truce on the Ukraine crisis.

He said China welcomes and views positively the "Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements," achieved on Feb. 12 in Minsk, capital of Belarus.

The meeting of the leaders from Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine in Minsk has yielded an agreement on a series of important issues involved in the crisis, said Liu, noting that the agreement is "helpful to ease tensions in eastern Ukraine and advance the process of a political solution of the Ukraine crisis."

"The agreement is hard to come by and should be cherished and implemented by all parties," he said.

The council should scale up its support so that this agreement can be "an important watershed" in the efforts to de-escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine and help restore peace and stability in the country at an early date, he said.

"China has been of the view that in addressing the Ukrainian issue, we must stay the course of a political solution," the envoy said.

"The Ukraine issue has its historical complexity and realities. A fundamental and long-time solution of this issue must both accommodate the legitimate interest and concerns of all the ethnic groups throughout Ukraine and address the legitimate concerns of all relevant parties so that a balance of interest can be achieved," he said.

China hopes all parties will make joint efforts to implement the agreement and search for a "comprehensive, balanced and long-lasting" political solution to achieve peace, security, stability and development in Ukraine and the whole region, Liu said.

"China stands ready to continue to play an active and constructive role in promoting a political solution of the issue," he added. Endi