NATO supports initiatives on implementation of Minsk agreements - Stoltenberg
KYIV. July 10 (Interfax) - NATO supports any new initiative aimed at implementing the Minsk agreements, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
NATO actively supports the Minsk process and the Normandy format because they are the best formats for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on Monday.
NATO also welcomes new initiatives on the organization of new meetings and sessions and new efforts aimed at full implementation of the Minsk agreements, he said.
The economic sanctions imposed by the NATO countries against Russia are very important in this context, he said.
Stoltenberg said he believes these sanctions should continue as long as Russia shows unchanged behavior regarding the Minsk agreements and Crimea.
For his part Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Transatlantic and European solidarity is an important instrument aimed at causing Russia to resume negotiations.
"We should have an approved strategy for immediate introduction of the package of Minsk agreements, including ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territories and withdrawal of Russian multiple rocket launch systems, tanks and weapons. And for the process of hostage release and the work of the OSCE observation mission, including on the Ukrainian-Russian border, to begin," Poroshenko said.
