MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the Minsk agreements on Ukraine need to be abided by, and the parties agreed on the need to resume the work of the contact group for Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“In addressing the situation in southeastern Ukraine, Lavrov once again stressed the importance of observing the Minsk agreements, including a ceasefire and the arrangement of Kyiv’s dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk. The parties agreed that the work of the contact group should be resumed as soon as possible,” the ministry said in commenting on the telephone conversation between the two foreign policy chiefs.
Lavrov and Kerry also discussed the situation in the Middle East and North Africa “in the context of the goals of opposing terrorist attempts to establish their rule in the region.”
The two diplomats also exchanged opinions “on ways to facilitate efforts toward a political settlement of the Syria crisis,” it said.
