Madam President,

China thanks USG DiCarlo, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Grau and OSCE SMM Chief Monitor Ambassador Cevik for their briefings.

Minsk II agreement was signed and subsequently endorsed by the UN Security Council in February 2015. China believes that the agreement has played a vital role in the political mediation of the Ukrainian crisis. Over five years, the authority of the agreement has been highly recognized by all parties. Various mechanisms related to its implementation have generally been running well. We note that in December last year, the summit of the Normandy Four was successfully restarted and that parties reached important consensus on the implementation of Minsk II. This fully demonstrates that the Minsk II agreement remains the "greatest common denominator" of all parties now and is key to the political mediation of the Ukrainian crisis.

China calls on relevant parties to concretely implement the agreement, remain committed to the overall direction of a political settlement and seek a comprehensive solution to the crisis through dialogue and consultation so as to facilitate the realization of peace, stability and development in Ukraine and promote the harmony among all ethnicities in Ukraine and Ukraine’s peaceful coexistence with regional countries.

China always adopts an objective and impartial position on the Ukrainian crisis, respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, Ukraine included, and opposes interference in Ukraine's internal affairs by any external forces. We maintain that there is no military solution to the crisis and that dialogue and negotiation are the only way out. China will continue to play a constructive role in politically resolving the Ukrainian crisis.

Thank you, Madam President.