22 Apr 2020 17:23

Putin, Merkel by phone stress importance of close coordination of efforts to fight coronavirus together with WHO - Kremlin

MOSCOW. April 22 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have discussed in a phone conversation the issues of countering the coronavirus pandemic, settlement of the Donbas crisis, and the situation on the global oil market, the Kremlin press service said on Wednesday.

"The parties focused on the issue of fighting the coronavirus pandemic. They stressed the importance of close coordination of international efforts toward this end with the active participation of the World Health Organization (WHO). The parties agreed to maintain bilateral contacts between the relevant ministries," the press service said in a statement received by Interfax.

The parties thoroughly discussed the problems of the settlement of the domestic Ukrainian crisis during the phone conversation, which took place at Germany's initiative, the statement said.

"The parties evaluated positively the exchange of detainees between Kyiv, the DPR, and the LPR [the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics], which took place the other day. They emphasized the necessity of consistent implementation of the Minsk Package of Measures and the decisions made at the Normandy Four summits. In particular, the parties noted that Ukrainian authorities should fulfil their commitments in respect to political aspects of the settlement, including the legislative stipulation of a special status for Donbas," the statement said.

"The parties also addressed the issues related to developments in Syria and Libya, as well as the current situation on the global oil market," it said.