MINSK, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Belarus hoped that the Kerch Strait confrontation will not lead to the escalation of tensions in the region, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said on Thursday.
Belarus would prefer not to see further steps which could cause the escalation of tensions in the region, which not only can have a regional impact, but also an international one, said Makei.
The events in the Kerch Strait area confirmed the relevance and realism of the repeated warnings by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the world was gradually slipping into the abyss of a large conflict, he said.
Makei also stressed that he would rather not hear emotional statements made by senior foreign officials, which will only lead to further escalation of the confrontation.
The minister reiterated that Belarus was ready to make its contribution, if it is acceptable to the relevant political players, in resolving the situation and defusing the current tensions in the region.
Makei added that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry will work out recommendations for Belarusian citizens in connection with the imposition of martial law in Ukraine after receiving all information in detail.
The Ukrainian navy said Sunday that Russian forces had fired on and seized three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait, calling Russia's actions an "act of aggression."
Moscow said the three ships had breached the Russian border and conducted dangerous maneuvers despite being ordered against doing so by vessels from the Russian Federal Security Service and Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
The Ukrainian parliament on Monday supported a bill imposing martial law in selected regions bordering Russia for a duration of 30 days.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was unreasonable for Kiev to introduce martial law over a "minor border incident" in the Black Sea, considering that no martial law was imposed even when the Ukrainian civil war broke out in 2014.
