OSCE Chair-in-Office Kneissl and Secretary General Greminger welcome exchange of detainees in eastern Ukraine, call for full adherence to ceasefire

Vienna, 27 December 2017 - OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austria’s Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger welcomed the news of today’s large-scale exchange of prisoners and detainees in eastern Ukraine and urged the sides to build on this momentum in order to achieve further progress in reaching a peaceful resolution of the crisis in and around Ukraine.  

“Allowing such a significant number of people, who have been held on both sides, to return home before the New Year and Orthodox Christmas is a very welcome development. Today’s exchange is not only a humanitarian act but also a helpful step in confidence-building. We encourage the sides to continue their efforts to improve the life of people directly affected by the conflict”, said Chairperson-in-Office Kneissl.

Secretary General Greminger stressed that incremental steps such as this one can bring significant, tangible results. “Progress such as this is the result of tireless work facilitated by the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), and demonstrates the importance of this format.  It is essential that the sides continue to work with the TCG in order to achieve sustainable progress towards peace.”

Kneissl and Greminger stressed that today’s exchange of prisoners, together with the lower number of ceasefire violations during the last several days, represent a step forward.  “Nevertheless, it is but one step and many others have to follow. We urge the sides to ensure a true cessation of hostilities in the coming days, as part of full implementation of the Minsk agreements”, they said.