The coronavirus pandemic complicated the implementation of the decisions of the Paris summit in the Normandy format on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but this should not be an excuse for not fulfilling them, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2020) The coronavirus pandemic complicated the implementation of the decisions of the Paris summit in the Normandy format on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but this should not be an excuse for not fulfilling them, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.
He noted that many decisions of the Paris summit had not been implemented, as well as the Minsk agreements.
"Indeed, the coronavirus epidemic in eastern Ukraine did not make the implementation of decisions easier, but the pandemic should not be an excuse for the failure to implement what was agreed upon," he said following a video conference of the Normandy format foreign ministers.
Mass also urged not to abuse the need to protect health during the epidemic by hindering the work of the OSCE mission in Donbas.
"Healthcare during the pandemic should not be abused as an argument for interfering with the work of the OSCE on the ground," he said.
In addition, he added that access should be provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which had been agreed during the video conference.
