Paris, Berlin regret over Russia's refusal to attend Normandy talks, - French Foreign Ministry

France and Germany regret over Russia's refusal to participate in the meeting of representatives of the foreign ministries of the Normandy format countries (Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia), which was held in Paris on Friday.

Censor.NET reports referring to a statement by the spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry published by the Embassy of France in Kyiv.

"A review meeting with the participation of representatives of France, Germany and Ukraine was held in Paris on March 24. France and Germany regret over Russia's non-attendance. The Russian Federation should play a constructive role in implementing the Minsk agreements, to which it is a signatory, for sustainable and peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis," the statement says.

As reported, the meeting, which was attended by four coordinators of working groups and special OSCE representative in the Trilateral Contact Group Martin Sajdik, helped improve the coordination of work carried out in Minsk with the Normandy contact group.

In particular, a number of priority issues in security, political, economic and humanitarian areas was set out. France and Germany call on the parties to conscientiously get down to their soonest implementation under the auspices of the Trilateral Contact Group.

The two states also welcome the role played by the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine to stabilize the situation on the ground and urge Ukraine and Russia to do their best to allow the mission to fulfill its mandate fully and to ensure the safety of its observers and personnel.