Sigmar Gabriel
The only way to the lifting of EU sanctions in force against Russia, related to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, said the foreign Minister of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel at a meeting in Paris with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault. About it reports Reuters.
“Germany and France have a clear position on sanctions. We want to achieve implementation of the Minsk agreements. This is the only way to the lifting of sanctions,” he said.
Gabriel was appointed to the post of head of the German foreign Ministry on January 27. In this position, he was replaced by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who like his successor, linked the process of lifting restrictions against Moscow with the progress in the implementation of “Minsk-2”.
“A package of measures to implement the Minsk agreement” was signed in February 2015 the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine. The document spelled out the ceasefire in the South-East of Ukraine, carrying out in Ukraine of the constitutional reform, the holding of elections in the Donbass (this and many other aspects of the peace settlement, implementation of which is assigned to Kiev, not yet implemented). Western countries regularly identify Russia as one of the parties to the conflict, Moscow denies these allegations.