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Russia’s Lavrov, US Kerry agree to continue contacts on Ukrainian settlement

Sergei Lavrov drew attention of the U.S. side to the necessity of fulfillment of the Geneva statement provision

© EPA/US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

MOSCOW, April 18. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to continue contacts in the interests of the soonest normalization of the situation in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday after a telephone conversation between the two foreign ministers.

“The two foreign ministers continued the discussion of possible international assistance in the settlement of the political crisis in Ukraine in the light of the Thursday four-party meeting in Geneva,” the ministry said, adding that the conversation had been initiated by the U.S. side.

“Sergei Lavrov drew attention of the U.S. side to the necessity of the immediate and complete fulfillment by the Ukrainian authorities of the Geneva statement provision that provide in particular non-use of force and the beginning of a nationwide dialogue on a new constitution involving all key political forces and Ukrainian regions,” the ministry said.

“The sides agreed to continue close contacts in the interests of the soonest normalization of the situation in Ukraine,” the ministry noted.

A four-party meeting involving representatives from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union that was held on Thursday in Geneva yielded a comprehensive document on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine. Its basic provision was an agreement that all the parties must refrain from any violence, intimidation tactics and provocative actions. Participants in the meeting condemned and denounced “any manifestations of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-Semitis

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