MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. At a meeting with ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to take a balanced approach, which is crucial in terms of developments in and around Ukraine.

"We are confident that the balanced and responsible approach that the committee seeks to pursue in all regions of the world is also crucial in terms of developments in and around Ukraine," Lavrov noted.

According to the Russian top diplomat, Moscow believes that the ICRC’s readiness "to act impartially on Ukraine-related issues and use its unique humanitarian mandate" will be of key importance for preserving the atmosphere of constructive cooperation. "We have always had great respect for this mandate and appreciated your unbiased activities free of politics, and we have never misused our relations with the committee in order to achieve some political goals," Lavrov went on to say. "We expect that other partners of the International Committee of the Red Cross, particularly your major donors, will strictly follow the same pattern," he added.

"I reaffirm Russia’s commitment to international humanitarian law, certainly including the Geneva conventions. We are taking every precaution to protect civilians and civilian facilities," he stressed.

The Russian foreign minister also pointed out that Moscow’s cooperation with the ICRC had been rapidly advancing in recent years. "For quite a while, we have been fruitfully cooperating on the humanitarian agenda in Syria, Afghanistan, Karabakh and other hotspots. We take part in the voluntary funding your programs," Lavrov said, addressing Spoljaric.