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Steinmeier in Bratislava

March 23, 2015

Germany's foreign minister has said there is no military solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with four of his central European counterparts in Slovakia's capital Bratislava.

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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslac Lajcak, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaoralek and State Secretary of the Polish Foreign Ministry Rafa Trzaskowski (L-R) pose for the family photo as foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four countries meet Steinmeier in Bratislava 23 March 2015.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Krizsan

The parties involved in the Ukraine conflict must avoid any steps which could lead to a new escalation of tensions, German Foreign Minster Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Monday, at a meeting of foreign ministers of the four Visegrad group countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.

Steinmeier urged for the continuation of the Minsk peace process.

"One thing is clear I think to all of us: there is no, and there cannot be, a military solution to the crisis in Ukraine," Steinmeier told reporters.

Slovakian foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak expressed the support of the central European countries for Germany in its role as a key mediator in Ukraine.

"We all very much appreciate Germany's leadership in this matter," he said.

According to news agency Reuters, Steinmeier also said senior officials from Germany, Ukraine and Russia would meet in Paris on Wednesday to discuss oversight mechanisms for the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

se/jr (Reuters, dpa)

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March 23, 2015