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Lavrov urges Kiev to build national dialogue with all regions

Minister stressed the need to respect the aspirations of people living in the southeast of Ukraine

© EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

MOSCOW, April 07, 23:15 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the Kiev authorities to take urgent measures to build a national dialogue with all political forces and regions in Ukraine.

In a telephone conversation with Ukraine’s acting Foreign Minister Andrei Deshchitsa on Monday, April 7, Lavrov “reiterated Russia’s position on how to resolve the political crisis in Ukraine and called on the incumbent authorities to take urgent measures to organise a national dialogue with all political forces and regions in Ukraine and carry out a deep constitutional reform, taking into account their interests, and reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to support this process together with the European Union and the United States”.

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Lavrov also “stressed the need to respect the aspirations of people living in the southeast of Ukraine and prevent attempts to use force in response to their legitimate demands for guarantees of their linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic rights”.

Earlier in the day, Lavrov talked with his American and German counterparts to discuss Ukraine. “Sergei Lavrov noted the urgent need, especially amid mounting protests in the southeast of Ukraine, for a deep and transparent constitutional reform with full-fledged participation of all political forces and regions. He stressed the importance of real dialogue on creating a federative system in Ukraine and formalising its non-bloc status,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The Russian minister and the U.S. secretary agreed to continue joint efforts to discuss optimal forms of international assistance in promoting a truly national dialogue in Ukraine so that Ukrainians could determine the future of their country,” the ministry said.

In a telephone conversation with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Lavrov urged the international community to help start a dialogue between all political forces in Ukraine as soon as possible. He “stressed the need for urgent measures to organise international assistance towards the speediest commencement of national dialogue between all political forces and regions in Ukraine, while respecting their legitimate rights and interests in order to publicly come to consensus on a generally acceptable constitutional reform plan”, the Foreign Ministry said. “Steinmeier reiterated his readiness to cooperate on this issue using Germany’s possibilities,” the ministry said. The ministers agreed to maintain close contact in order to look for ways to facilitate crisis resolution in Ukraine.

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