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Diplomat says new Normandy Quartet meeting not on agenda

A Russian diplomat says a Normandy Quartet meeting will be held when Kiev takes steps to implement the Minsk Agreements

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko

© REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. The need for holding Normandy Quartet meetings will arise when Kiev takes steps to implement the Minsk Agreements, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an exclusive interview with TASS.

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According to him, if "political conditions are ripe" for such a meeting, Moscow will be ready to participate. "We value the Normandy Quartet platform but progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements needs to be achieved for it to become effective, this is when there will be the need for such meetings," the senior Russian diplomat stressed.

Grushko pointed out that Kiev was ignoring its obligations. "This is the main issue," he noted.

"There is progress in neither the security sphere nor the implementation of political provisions, which are crucial for advancing towards a solution," the Russian deputy foreign minister went on to say. "On the contrary, some new laws are adopted that complicate the situation further as they run counter not only to the letter of the Minsk Agreements but also to their logic, weakening the prospects for resolving the conflict," he added.

"Kiev is unwilling to fulfill its obligations even where totally clear agreements have been made, which particularly concerns the disengagement process in the Stanitsa Luganskaya area," the Russian diplomat concluded.

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