UN chief heads to Russia and Ukraine; Security Council to meet on ongoing crisis

UN, 19 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will depart today for a visit to Russia and Ukraine as part of his diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully, while the United Nations Security Council is set to meet in New York on the latest developments. 

Mr. Ban’s first stop will be the Russian capital, Moscow, where he will meet on Thursday with President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior officials, according to the Secretary-General’s spokesperson. 


On Friday, the UN chief will travel to Kiev, where he will hold talks with Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and other officials.
While in the Ukrainian capital, he will also meet with members of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission and representatives of civil society. 

Months of political unrest in Ukraine led to the removal by Parliament of President Viktor Yanukovych in February, followed by increased tensions in the country’s autonomous region of Crimea, where additional Russian military were recently deployed and a secession referendum was held on Sunday. 

Throughout the crisis, the Secretary-General and senior UN officials have consistently called for a solution that is guided by the principles of the UN Charter and that respects Ukraine’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
un.org
19/3/14
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• Putin to meet UN Secretary-General in Moscow March 20

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Moscow on Thursday, March 20, presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Itar-Tass.
“We confirm that the meeting will be held as scheduled,” Peskov said.
Earlier, the UN press service reported that the UN Secretary-General would visit Moscow and Kiev on March 20-21.
The UN secretary-general will leave for a visit to Russia on March 19 within the diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to settling the crisis in Ukraine by peaceful means, the press service said.
While in Moscow, Ban Ki-moon will have meetings with Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other high-ranking officials.
While in Kiev, the UN Secretary-General will meet Ukrainian acting President Oleksandr Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who were appointed by the Verkhovna Rada. The UN secretary-general is planning to confer with representatives of the civil society and UN staffers, the UN press service said.
 http://en.itar-tass.com
19/3/14