MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - There is no alternative to the fulfillment of the Minsk Agreements that envisage Kyiv's direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We have confirmed the lack of an alternative to the complete and consistent fulfillment of the Minsk Package of Measures and are hoping that the [OSCE] chairperson-in-office will promote progress in this area, in particular, via his special representative in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group," Lavrov said at a press conference on Tuesday, following talks with Polish Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Zbigniew Rau.
"The most important here is to establish direct dialogue between Kyiv, Donetsk and Luhansk," he said.
"It is also necessary to ensure an unbiased monitoring of the situation by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. We are expecting its leadership to establish a constructive, working relationship with the authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk, as required by the mission mandate approved by the OSCE Permanent Council," Lavrov said.
"The mandate requires that the mission does not ignore a violation of human rights and media freedom throughout the Ukrainian territory," he said.