Steinmeier in Bratislava
March 23, 2015
The parties involved in the Ukraine conflict must avoid any steps which could lead to a new escalation of tensions, German Foreign Minster Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Monday, at a meeting of foreign ministers of the four Visegrad group countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
Steinmeier urged for the continuation of the Minsk peace process.
"One thing is clear I think to all of us: there is no, and there cannot be, a military solution to the crisis in Ukraine," Steinmeier told reporters.
Slovakian foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak expressed the support of the central European countries for Germany in its role as a key mediator in Ukraine.
"We all very much appreciate Germany's leadership in this matter," he said.
According to news agency Reuters, Steinmeier also said senior officials from Germany, Ukraine and Russia would meet in Paris on Wednesday to discuss oversight mechanisms for the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
se/jr (Reuters, dpa)