Lavrov doubts Vatican would be right place for Russia-Ukraine talks
MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he is skeptical about the possibility to hold Russia-Ukraine talks at the Vatican.
"Many people are fantasizing as to when and where it [a meeting of Russian and Ukrainian representatives] may take place. We have no ideas for now but, truth be told, [...] they should not waste their mental capacity on working out options that aren't very realistic. Imagine the Vatican as the talks' venue. It is not quite elegant for Orthodox states to discuss issues related to the eradication of root causes [of the conflict] at a Catholic venue," Lavrov said at a conference themed 'Historical South Russian Lands. National Identity and Self-Determination of Peoples' at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy in Moscow on Friday.
"One of the root causes is the course towards elimination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," Lavrov said.
"I believe the Vatican would not be quite comfortable to host delegations from two Orthodox countries under such circumstances," he said.
The optimal way to decide who could sign a peace agreement on behalf of Ukraine would be elections in Ukraine, Lavrov said.
"We shall see who in the Ukrainian authorities is legitimate," Lavrov told reporters.
"The current constitution [of Ukraine] seems to allow speaking of the Verkhovna Rada chairman, however, elections would be the best option," he said.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the venue of Russia-Ukraine talks has yet to be chosen.
"No, there is neither a decision nor an agreement on the next venue of the talks just yet. Naturally, the decision cannot be made by one side, consent of both sides is required. Of course, the decision will be made when time comes," Peskov told journalists on Friday in regard to the venue of the next round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations. He was asked whether it could be the Vatican or the sides had agreed in general to continue the talks in Istanbul.
