Russia, Germany agree on need to fulfill Minsk agreements — Lavrov

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. Russia and Germany are committed to the necessity to settle the Ukrainian crisis on the basis of the Minsk agreements achieved on February 12, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Handelsblatt, a leading German business daily.

Both Moscow and Berlin agree that the escalation of tensions would have negative consequences to Ukraine and the system of the European security as a whole, Lavrov said.

"Therefore, our countries are interested in the soonest comprehensive crisis resolution on the basis of mandatory fulfillment of all provisions of the agreements achieved in Minsk on February 12 and are closely cooperating within the framework of the so-called Normandy format," he said.

"I'd like to believe that neither Berlin, nor Moscow are interested in a new deep split of Europe," the minister added.

Lavrov said contradictions in European politics affect the ability of major powers to find solutions to both global problems, such as weapons proliferation, extremism and terrorism, and regional conflicts, mainly in the Middle East and North Africa.

"The lack of strategic global vision under the current conditions could lead to the loss of the ability of make adequate decisions," Lavrov said.