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Russian FM Lavrov says Kiev should implement Geneva deal

MOSCOW, April 21, /ITAR-TASS/. Kiev should strictly abide by the provisions of the deals on Ukraine reached last week in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier by phone on Monday.

“The discussion of ways to settle the internal political crisis in Ukraine, first of all in the context of the April 17 four-party meeting in Geneva with participation of representatives of Russia, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine, was continued,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“Lavrov stressed the necessity of strict and overwhelming implementation by the current authorities in Kiev of provisions of the Geneva Statement, including termination of violent actions and the launch of an extensive national dialogue in the framework of the constitutional reform process,” the ministry said.

It said that the sides stressed the importance of the mandate of the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine called upon to de-escalate tensions in the country and added that the heads of the Russian and German foreign policy departments agreed to continue contacts on all aspects of the discussed problems.

The political situation in Ukraine is far from stable after the country saw a coup in February and new people came to power amid riots, whom Russia does not recognize as Ukraine's legitimate authorities.

The crisis deepened when Crimea reunified with Russia on March 18 after a referendum two days earlier in which Crimeans overwhelmingly voted to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.

After Crimea’s incorporation by Russia, pro-federalization protests against the new Kiev leadership erupted in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking southeastern territories, with protesters seizing some government buildings and demanding referendums on broader powers for the regions.

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