Latvian Foreign Minister: Debate about lifting sanctions on Russia was premature
It’s too early to discuss abolishing the EU sanctions against Russia, said the head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, Edgars Rinkēvičs, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bratislava, as reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Latvia.
Rinkēvičs stressed that it was premature to talk about lifting sanctions against Russia and it is necessary to continue efforts to achieve full implementation of the Minsk agreements. In addition, the Latvian minister expressed support for negotiations in the Normandy format.
Previously, the Latvian minister said that much depends on Russia and its desire to “take up the resolution of the situation” in eastern Ukraine. He said that intensive work is also being conducted with the Ukrainian side on such issues as the special status of regions, elections and border security. “The Minsk agreements are far from being implemented, but I have a feeling that unity was achieved,” Rinkēvičs noted.