MILAN, October 17 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – The Minsk agreements on Ukraine are crucial in resolving the crisis in the country, European politicians stressed Friday, after a morning meeting attended by leaders of the European Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.
"The agreements of Minsk are essential to create trust between the parties involved. And it was agreed to implement the Minsk protocol," President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said following the working breakfast in Milan.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who hosted the breakfast on the sidelines of the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit, also noted the importance of agreements achieved in Minsk.
"The Milan meeting comes after a very important protocol, the protocol of Minsk," Renzi said.
"And in the Milan meeting we stress the importance to implement the Minsk protocol, we stress the importance to continue the direction of cooperation," the prime minister added.
"Obviously there are a lot of differences. This is normal, this is the reason for which we are in this situation. I would underline the real desire to find a solution and for this reason I think we can be positive after this meeting," Renzi noted.
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said the implementation of the Minsk protocol would help create trust between the conflicting parties in Ukraine.
"The agreements of Minsk are essential to create trust between the parties involved. And it was agreed to implement the Minsk protocol," Barroso said.
The Minsk protocol was signed on September 5 during a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, attended by representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The meeting resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the Ukrainian government and the self-proclaimed people's republics of Luhansk and Donetsk (LPR and DPR).
The agreement also stipulated an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange, withdrawal of heavy weaponry and additional humanitarian convoys from Russia to eastern Ukraine.
Both independence supporters and Kiev forces have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which came into force on the same day the Minsk agreements were signed.
The armed conflict in southeastern Ukraine started in mid-April when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in the region.
