Settlement of Ukraine issue must return to implementation of Minsk Agreements -- Chinese envoy

A Chinese envoy said Thursday that the settlement of the Ukraine issue must return to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

The 2015 Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements is recognized by all as a fundamental and binding political document for the settlement of the Ukraine issue, and was endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2202. Therefore, the package deserves complete and effective implementation by all parties concerned, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Regrettably, the majority of the provisions have yet to be truly implemented. New cease-fire violations have reportedly occurred on the contact line, he said.

To solve the Ukraine issue, it is imperative to return to the implementation of the package. China hopes that all parties concerned will take a constructive attitude, resolve through dialogue and consultation whatever differences that may arise in the implementation of the package, and draw up a roadmap and timetable for implementation without delay, so as to pave the way for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, he told the Security Council.

In the current context, all parties concerned should let reason prevail, adhere to the general direction of political solution, and refrain from any act that may provoke tensions or hype up the crisis. The parties should fully consider each other's legitimate security concerns, and show mutual respect, and on such a basis, properly resolve their differences through consultations on equal footing, he said.

"China supports all efforts conducive to easing the tensions, and notes the recent diplomatic engagement between Russia and France, Germany and other European countries at the leaders' level. A negotiated, balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism will serve as a solid foundation for lasting peace and stability across Europe. We trust that European countries will take decisions with strategic autonomy in line with their own interests," said Zhang.

China also supports the UN secretary-general's good offices aimed at reducing tensions, he added.

"Everything happens for a reason. NATO enlargement is an issue that cannot be overlooked when dealing with the current tensions related to Ukraine. NATO's continuous expansion in the wake of the Cold War runs counter to the trend of our times, that is to maintain common security," he said. "One country's security cannot be at the expense of the security of others. By the same token, regional security should not rely on muscling up or even expanding military blocs."

This applies as much to Europe as to other regions of the world. There is one country that refuses to renounce its Cold War mentality. It says one thing and does another in order to seek absolute military superiority. It has been ganging up in the Asia-Pacific region, creating trilateral and quadrilateral small cliques, and bent on provoking confrontation. What it is doing will only throw the Asia-Pacific into division and turmoil, and seriously threaten the region's peace and stability to the detriment of the countries in the region, while getting nothing for itself either, he said.

China urges the countries concerned to learn from history, subscribe to the notion of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, adhere to the approach of enhancing mutual trust and settling disputes through dialogue and consultation, and do more to contribute to world peace and regional stability, he said.