BERLIN (Sputnik) — Germany welcomes the establishment of a stable ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Friday.
"I am glad that the ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine, according to the OSCE [the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe] observations, has been stably maintained again and currently there are no serious clashes in the conflict zones," Steinmeier was quoted as saying by the ministry.
He added he was determined to continue efforts toward Ukrainian reconciliation in the Normandy format with Russia, Ukraine and France.
Southeastern Ukraine has been suffering from a crisis triggered by a military operation to suppress local independence militia launched by Kiev authorities in April 2014 to quell secession moves.
On Tuesday, the last 2015 meeting of the trilateral Contact Group on conflict resolution in southeastern Ukraine, consisting of Ukraine, Russia and OSCE representatives, took place in Minsk. The group agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire, starting on December 23 for the duration of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
