OREANDA-NEWS. December 20, 2010. The situation became exacerbated in the Ivorian capital Abidjan on December 16, according to reports. People were killed and wounded as a result of clashes between the opposing sides. No one has been hurt among Russian nationals. The Russian Embassy in Abidjan has taken additional security measures.

Moscow is very concerned about this outbreak of violence, which in an already tense situation is fraught with a new spiral of internal conflict.

We strongly urge the Ivorian parties to refrain from violent actions.

We call upon them to search, with the active participation of the African community, perhaps taking the advice of the official African Union mediator, former South African President Thabo Mbeki, for a peaceful, political solution which would help unblock the present crisis and find a settlement formula capable of ensuring national reconciliation and lasting peace in the country.