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Changes to Normandy Four format not on agenda — Russian envoy

The envoy notes the format is functioning, foreign ministers, political directors, security experts and experts are permanent meetings of the Normandy Format

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. The issue of changing the Normandy Four format (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine) is not on the agenda at the moment, Russian president’s envoy to the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine told Rossiya 24 television on Tuesday.

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Lavrov: Russia's partners in Normandy Four should prevent failure of Minsk peace deal

The envoy, Boris Gryzlov, said none of the Normandy Four participants is officially putting the format change issue on the agenda. "The format is functioning, foreign ministers, political directors, security experts and experts on legal issues are meeting - these are permanent meetings of the Normandy Format," he said.

The so-called "Normandy format" was established in 2015 when Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko discussed the crisis in Ukraine on the sidelines of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.

Since then, there has been four summit meetings and 16 telephone conversations, as well as 13 contacts of the foreign ministers.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy

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