"I am pleased that, based on the observations of the OSCE, the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine has been holding again for several days now and that no more serious incidents have occurred in the conflict zones," Steinmeier was quoted as saying in the statement.
The current state of affairs gives hope that the conflicting sides will strive to fully implement the Minsk agreements, which will help to settle the crisis, the chairperson-in-office added.
"I am determined not to relax our efforts to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv within the Normandy format and to now also use Germany’s Chairmanship of the OSCE to this end," he stressed.
On Tuesday, the last 2015 meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on conflict resolution in southeastern Ukraine, consisting of Ukraine, Russia and OSCE representatives, was held in Minsk. The group agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire, starting on December 23 for the period of the Christmas and New Year holidays.