Today's agreement on withdrawal of weapons gives boost to the whole process, says OSCE CiO Dacic after meeting with the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk

MINSK, 21 July 2015 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, has stressed the need to seize the momentum of today's agreement on the withdrawal of tanks and certain weapons under 100 mm calibre for further advancement of the process during his first visit to Minsk today.

Only a political solution can bring an end to the crisis in and around Ukraine, Dačić told the TCG, which is made up of senior envoys of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, including Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Martin Sajdik.

“We stand firmly behind efforts to find a political solution; anything else is simply not an option,” said Dačić.

“We are fully committed to supporting the work of the TCG and its four working groups on political, security, humanitarian and economic issues. The Minsk agreements must be respected by all sides to de-escalate a conflict that has already ruined the lives of so many people.”

Meeting the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, Dačić commended Belarus for continuing to host the Trilateral Contact Group and supporting conflict resolution efforts.

He also expressed satisfaction that the government of Belarus had invited the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the presidential elections scheduled to take place on 11 October 2015.