UNITED NATIONS, April 28 -- A senior Chinese diplomat here on Thursday called on all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine to exercise restraint and genuinely work toward a political settlement.

The statement came as Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, took the floor at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on the current situation in Ukraine.

Liu urged all parties concerned to stop the violence and seek dialogue.

All parties must faithfully enforce the cease-fire and implement the Minsk agreement, Liu said.

The Minsk agreement, signed in February 2015 in the Belarusian capital with the mediation of France and Germany, calls for a cease-fire along with a range of political, economic and social measures aimed to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

A long-term solution must fully accommodate the legitimate rights and interests of all parties, Liu said.

"The international community should continue to support diplomatic efforts by all parties concerned toward a political solution," he said.

The Thursday council meeting also heard a briefing by Taye-Brook Zerihoun, the UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, on the situation in Ukraine.

The crisis in eastern Ukraine began in April 2014, when Kiev launched offensives against insurgents in a bid to retake the cities and towns they seized. The conflict has claimed more than 9,000 lives and wounded more than 21,000 others.