British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has insisted that the sanctions against Russia should remain in place until the country starts fulfilling its commitments under the Minsk agreement.

Speaking Wednesday after a meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov in Sofia, Hammond made clear that the two had discussed issues related to Europe and European values and how they appeared against the backdrop of Russian aggression and the changes to the map of Europe made by Russia by means of military intervention.

Hammond, as cited by the BGNES news agency, announced that that the EU had to be convinced that the sanctions had to remain in place until Russia started fulfilling its commitments under the Minsk agreement.

He told journalists that the next stops of his tour were Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding that the agenda of the meetings focused on EU membership.

During their Wednesday meeting, Mitov and Hammond discussed common interests and goals within NATO.

The two condemned the deadly terror attacks in Paris last week, with Mitov emphasizing that there was no cause that could justify what had happened, according to reports of news.bg.

Mitov said that he had acquainted Hammond with the proposal to criminalize participation in the Islamic State group.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister expressed willingness to extend bilateral dialogue with Britain in the energy sector, adding that Bulgaria would also welcome assistance for the implementation of administrative reform.