Press Statement of the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Martin Sajdik after the Meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on 23 August 2017

MINSK, 24 August 2017 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG ‎and its working groups in Minsk on 23 August 2017:

“Today's meetings of the TCG and its Working Groups took place after a short summer break. As we are resuming our talks, I would like once again to express my sincere gratitude to the Republic of Belarus for its hospitality and the opportunities granted to us to conduct our work.

As you remember, two years ago, the TCG issued its first call for a full ceasefire on the eve of the beginning of the school year. We repeated this initiative last year. There is no doubt that, to ensure a durable cessation of fire – for the sake of children and the entire population in the conflict zone – the sides need to take clear commitments.

In this context, I would like to read out today's Statement of the TCG:

“The Trilateral Contact Group and the representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in the light of the support expressed by the leaders of the Normandy Four on 22 August 2017, reiterate their full commitment to permanent ceasefire on the occasion of the beginning of the school year, from midnight on 25 August 2017.

The sides shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the ceasefire is sustainable.

For the purpose of monitoring, the sides shall also ensure safe and secure access of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission throughout the whole territory of Ukraine, in accordance with its mandate.”

I warmly welcome the public support of this decision by the leaders of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and, of course, by the Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and the President of France Emmanuel Macron. I am convinced that the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office will also support this decision.

The Working Group on Security deliberated in detail on the implementation of the above-mentioned decision. In addition, issues of disengagement of forces and hardware in Stanytsia Luhanska continued to be addressed, as well as the determination of new zones. The Working Group also devoted attention to the protection of critical civil infrastructure.

The latter issue was also discussed in the Economic Working Group. There is also some good news in this area: following the recent payment, water deliveries to Luhansk region are now ensured to all and in full. I hope that, thanks to regular payments, these water supplies will go on uninterrupted. This is a concrete and very important result of our work for the sake of the people.

The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues continued intensive discussions on the exchange of detainees. Ambassador Toni Frisch presented the results of his visit to detention facilities in Mariupol, Makyivka and Bakhmut. I welcome this initiative. Such visits are important to understand conditions of detentions on both sides of the contact line.

The Working Group on Political Issues had a substantial exchange of views, in the light of the Normandy Four meetings. In particular, issues related to the so-called ’Steinmeier formula’ and the Law on the special order in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions were discussed.”