Photo credit: Russian Foreign Ministry
The visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Finland, which took place on Tuesday, March 3, was very eventful, TASS reports. The minister met with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, and held talks with his colleague Pekka Haavisto.
Following the visit, Lavrov noted that relations between the two countries remained good-neighborly. The Finnish minister called the conversation open and constructive. They touched upon many important topics of both the bilateral and the international agenda, discussing the most pressing issues.
After the negotiations, Lavrov once again recalled that there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements to end the protracted conflict in Ukraine. Russian foreign minister emphasized that no peacekeepers in the Donbass are mentioned in this document. The Minsk agreements were supported by the UN Security Council, so they are part of international law, the Russian Foreign Minister added.
Unfortunately, Lavrov noted, Germany and France are not making any efforts to get Kiev to implement the decisions of the summit held at the end of last year in Paris. Lavrov pointed out that Russia does not consider it necessary to hold useless summits in this format.
Haavisto called the situation in Donbass terrifying. Lavrov, in turn, said that the region was put into a humanitarian crisis by the actions of the former Ukrainian president, who imposed a blockade on Kiev-uncontrolled territory.
Lavrov recalled several memorable dates celebrated in 2020. This is the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He confirmed that the Finnish president was invited to Moscow to celebrate the anniversary of the victory, and handed over medals to the inhabitants of besieged Leningrad living in Finland.
Russkiy Mir
