Sochi - Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine (the so-called "Normandy quartet") have agreed to meet in Minsk Feb. 11, provided several positions are agreed upon.
“I would like to inform you that I have just finished a conversation with my colleagues from Kyiv, Berlin and Paris in the so-called ‘Normandy format.’ We have agreed that we will try to organize a meeting in the same format between the heads of state and governments in Minsk, probably next Wednesday, if by then we have agreed upon a number of positions that were a subject of our intense discussions recently,” Putin said at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday.
“I would ask you to help hold this meeting as you have done until now by kindly providing Minsk as a platform for meetings at the expert level,” Putin added.
During their telephone conversation the four leaders agreed that the results of the conversation will be announced by spokespeople of the French and German leaders, Putin said. “They have already done so, so you and I can now publicly talk on this subject as well. And I want to thank you for what you have been doing to resolve the crisis in Ukraine,” Putin said.
The press office of the Ukrainian president confirmed on Sunday that Petro Poroshenko, Putin, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had agreed to meet in Minsk on Feb. 11.
The parties made the arrangement during a telephone conference which focused on peaceful ways to resolve the Donbas conflict, the press office said.
The parties are expecting their efforts in Minsk on Feb. 11 to lead to an immediate and unconditional bilateral ceasefire, the press office said.
“The interlocutors have reached progress in their discussion of a set of measures to implement the Minsk accords. They have agreed on expert consultations between foreign ministry representatives in Berlin on Monday and a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Tuesday, involving the signatories to the Minsk accords,” Poroshenko’s press office informed.
The Normandy format involves four-party contacts between the leaders, foreign ministers and political directors of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany over resolution of the Ukrainian crisis. The first such summit was held in June 2014 in Normandy, France, during festivities on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of allied landings.
The last time the four leaders spoke by telephone was on Dec. 22, 2014. The parties set the dates for a Contact Group meeting in the interests of implementing the Minsk accords. Among priorities they mentioned, in particular, removal of heavy weaponry from the dividing line by both sides to the conflict.
For their part, the four countries’ foreign ministers have held regular meetings. The last one was in Berlin on Jan. 21. The ministers called for a swift meeting of the Contact Group and discussed preparations for the Russia-Ukraine-Germany-France summit, which had previously been planned to take place in Astana.
