MINSK, August 26, /ITAR-TASS/. The participants in the Customs Union-EU-Ukraine summit agreed to make Minsk a floor for negotiations of the contact group for Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said, commenting on the summit’s results.

“Everybody backed the Ukrainian president’s proposal to make Minsk a regular floor to maintain a dialogue among the contact group’s members,” Lukashenko stressed.

The summit’s participants also agreed that a group of experts should work out proposals supposed to remove the Customs Union’s concerns about Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union by September 12.

Lukashenko said that a serious discussion of the Ukraine crisis had taken place in Minsk.

“Naturally, we would all like to see a breakthrough and concrete agreements and the start of a political dialogue between the parties. But the very fact that the meeting has taken place is a success without any doubt and a step in the right direction,” Lukashenko stressed, noting the negotiations had certainly been difficult.

“Though the sides held radically opposite views on some issues, there is one thing with which everybody agreed - a dialogue is necessary,” the Belarusian president said.

“It is also necessary to de-escalate tensions (in eastern Ukraine), release hostages and avert a humanitarian disaster,” Lukashenko said.