Astana calls on warring sides in Ukraine to cease fire
ASTANA. Feb 9 (Interfax) -Astana favors a swift ceasefire in Ukraine and a conflict resolution based on a compromise, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov has said.
"Once again we are calling on all parties involved to prevent further escalation of the conflict and a tougher exchange of sanctions, and to continue looking for peaceful diplomatic ways to resolve their differences. Kazakhstan welcomes and supports further talks in any format and at every level, including the Normandy format, and is ready to act as a negotiating platform. What matters most for us is a swift ceasefire and a lasting solution to this poignant conflict on the basis of compromise," the minister wrote on his blog on Monday.
Kazakhstan, which is not a party to the conflict, was and continues to be actively involved in multilateral consultations over the crisis resolution, Idrisov said.
"It is largely thanks to the active position of our head of state last August that the Minsk meeting was held between the presidents of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia and the Ukrainian president and high EU representatives, which launched the peace process. Last December our head of state took a number of steps aimed at intensifying the negotiating process and reviving the so-called Normandy format of talks between the leaders of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France," the minister said.
For months now, the question of resolving the situation in and around Ukraine has been among the most important issues worldwide as a whole and in Kazakhstan's foreign policy in particular, Idrisov said.
"It is with great regret and sadness that one has to acknowledge that the situation has deteriorated lately. I would like to hope that the parties involved in this uneasy situation will still be able to come to a reasonable decision, including on the basis of the Minsk accords, which will stop the bloodshed and help Ukraine get back on the path of sustainable socio-economic and social-political development," the minister wrote.