Kiev: At the moment, the Normandy format is the only working, successful one, and although it has not achieved all of its goals, at least it exists, said French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Ponsen.
“In this regard, we have a very pragmatic approach. We try to follow this rule:“ do not fix what is not broken. ”At the moment, the Normandy format is the only working, successful one. It has not achieved all of its goals, but at least , it exists. It functions, for example, on January 22, a meeting of diplomatic advisers of the format was supposed to take place, although it was postponed due to the tragic fire in Kharkov. A year ago in Paris, we were satisfied with the results achieved," - de Ponsen said in an interview with the agency. Interfax-Ukraine".
According to him, sometimes too much attention is paid to the format, not the content.
“Lack of results (I agree with this) is not a matter of format. If you change the format, it does not necessarily mean that you will get better results. The best results will be because there will be progress in confidence and political will for peace and achievement of goals. not a matter of format. If you break the thermometer, it will not help to avoid the heat," - the ambassador said.
De Ponsin stressed that there is trust between the heads of the four states and the four advisers, they know each other very well.
"Mr. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, is very active and together they have achieved results. The ceasefire is the most important thing. It was vital to stop the killings. The exchange of prisoners was another very important result. Of course, this is not enough for one year, but at least there are good and important results. Of course, if there are better ideas, we are open to discussion. However, it is necessary to prove that it will be better than the existing Normandy format," - he added.
The ambassador also expressed concern about the lack of political will among "some members of the Normandy Four" to implement the agreements of the leaders in Paris, pointing out that Ukraine has made its contribution to this process.
"We are concerned. We see that some participants lack the political will to go further. But we have a truce. We see that Ukraine has contributed, for example, if we look at the opening of checkpoints. I was in Shchastya. Ukraine has made its home work, but on the other hand there is no reciprocity, so they are not yet open, and this is a disappointment, "- said de Ponsen.
The French Ambassador also pointed out that a new summit of the leaders of the Normandy Four can take place only when there is enough material for this, but at the moment the situation does not allow this.
“I don’t want to make assumptions on this issue. Our point of view is that we will convene a new summit if there is enough material for this. At the moment, we do not believe that the situation allows this. My president is fully prepared to participate in the new summit , there are absolutely no problems, he has already devoted a lot of time to the Normandy format and is ready to do more, "he stressed.