Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon have discussed ongoing ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
“Russia voiced concern about civilian victims and also about the large number of refugees at the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border,” the statement said, adding that the phone conversation took place on Tuesday.
Lavrov informed the UN chief about the efforts taken by Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to stabilize the situation in the Central Asian state, the ministry said.
At least 179 people have been killed in the south of Kyrgyzstan in five days of ethnic violence between Kyrgyz and Uzbek groups.
MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti)
