Ukraine and Azerbaijan do not intend to break diplomatic relations with Libya in connection with the brutal suppression of civil protest actions, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Konstantin Grishchenko said at a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Kiev today, UNIAN reported.
Grishchenko said that there are about 2,500 Ukrainian citizens in Libya, and it is very important for Ukraine to ensure their safety and the possibility of evacuation.
Mammadyarov said that based on international practice, he does not believe that breaking diplomatic relations, which is the final measure, can bring any result for the stabilization of the situation.
"I support the idea that to stabilize the situation in this country it needs to make more diplomatic efforts, negotiations, create more precise contacts with all sides who are in Libya," Mammadyarov said.
Protest actions in the Libyan provinces demanding Gaddafi's resignation and all senior officials have been continuing since Feb. 15. According to Human Rights Watch, during the suppression of mass demonstrations, not less than 233 people died.