NAYPYIDAW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday once again called upon the sides of the Ukrainian crisis to resolve their differences in accordance with the terms of the Minsk protocol.
"As Secretary-General of the UN, I have been urging the parties to resolve all pending issues between them by peaceful dialogue, not by the means of war or other violent means. And now I am urging them to resolve all problems in strictest accordance with the letter and spirit of the Minsk protocol and memorandum. That has been decided between the parties and that shall be the guideline for resolving the crisis," Ban Ki-moon said at a press-conference in Naypyidaw, the Myanmar capital, after the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leader and the UN.
The conflict in Ukraine escalated in mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation against Donbas independence supporters, who refused to recognize the new government, which came to power as a result of the February coup.
About 3,700 people have been killed and over 9,000 have been injured since the beginning of the armed conflict, according to the latest UN estimates.
On September 5, Ukrainian government forces and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics reached a ceasefire deal in Minsk through the mediation of Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). On September 19, the sides signed a memorandum, which clarified the implementation of the Minsk protocol.
However, both sides have subsequently accused each other of violating the truce on a regular basis.
