Head of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine on creation of humanitarian corridor in eastern Ukraine

KYIV, 4 February 2015 - Indiscriminate shelling around Debaltseve and other areas in eastern Ukraine has intensified, forcing innocent civilians to flee their homes. Many of them are in mortal danger.

The Head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, echoing yesterday’s call by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, urged in the strongest terms all sides to stop the shelling of residential areas and all other military activities and establish a temporary truce that would allow for the immediate evacuation of the civilian population on humanitarian grounds. The SMM stands ready to facilitate and support the truce, which should take effect immediately and stay in place for a minimum of three days.  

Ambassador Apakan called upon all parties to work towards a sustainable cease-fire and full implementation of the Minsk documents. “The people in eastern Ukraine have suffered enough. The only way to bring peace is for all parties to return to the negotiating table and engage in earnest to put the Minsk agreements into full effect,"he said.