MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Moscow believes that last Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Ukraine were valid despite many violations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.

“The way I see it, the elections did take place, although not in the whole territory of Ukraine,” he said. “I believe that we shall recognize the results of these elections, because it is very important for us to see Ukraine at last has authorities not involved in internal rifts or tug-of-war, pulling Ukraine to the West or to the East, but busy with the real problems that the country is facing."

“The early returns from the Ukrainian parliamentary elections indicate that the Ukrainian people have voted,” Lavrov said. “We leave aside the many violations that occurred during the preparations for the elections and the methods of coercion that were applied to a number of candidates and the measures to bar other political forces from the political process and participation in elections. Nevertheless, the voting did take place."

Russia hopes that the new government of Ukraine will launch nationwide dialogue in line with the Minsk agreements, Russian Foreign Minister added.

“We presume that the government will also pay attention to its commitments under the Minsk agreements, such as launching a broad nationwide dialogue involving all the regions, political forces of the country to carry out a constitutional reform that has been promised a long time ago but has not still begun,” Lavrov stressed.

Moscow also hopes that the new Ukrainian government’s efforts will be aimed at working for the interests of the country’s people, Russian Foreign Minister told TASS.

“We wait for the final results. We hope that the election of the new Verkhovna Rada will make it operatively form the government, which will not be aimed at continuing heightening confrontation moods in the society and in Russia but which will be constructive and directed at working with Russia that is indispensable to meet the interests of the Ukrainian people,” Lavrov said.

“Particularly, the solution of social and economic problems and the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which in addition to the ceasefire and the disengagement of the parties, the withdrawal of heavy weaponry, envision priority attention to humanitarian problems in Donbass and mobilizing efforts for the restoration of the economy and infrastructure in the south-east,” he concluded.