OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Secretary General welcome new recommitment to cease fire in Ukraine

NEW YORK/VIENNA, 8 March 2019 - OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger welcomed the new recommitment to a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine that came into effect today at 00:01 (Kyiv time) and should bring a decrease in violence.

While the renewed truce is a welcome development, a lasting ceasefire is yet to be reached. The Chairperson-in-Office, therefore, reiterated his call for a "sustainable, full and permanent ceasefire" in Ukraine.

"This is now an opportunity to focus on the needs of the women, men and children who have suffered far too long as a result of this conflict. The guarantee of a safe and secure environment is a crucial precondition for any positive development, including improving the dire humanitarian situation. I call on the sides to assume their full responsibilities, especially with regard to people on both sides of the contact line in the conflict-affected area," said the Chairperson-in-Office.

OSCE Secretary General Greminger stressed: “Every week, civilians are killed or injured in eastern Ukraine by shelling, landmines or explosive remnants of war.  Damage to essential infrastructure has reduced access to basic services, and in some cases poses the risk of environmental disaster. After five years of suffering, the people of Ukraine deserve peace, safety and hope for a better future. The sides must do more to ensure the wellbeing of the people they claim to protect, and cease fighting to allow the pursuit for a political solution.”

The Chairperson-in-Office and the Secretary General reiterated their continued strong support for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM). “The SMM is doing crucial work in reducing tensions on the ground,” they noted. “OSCE monitors must be granted secure and unimpeded access to fulfil their mandate. We need to further strengthen the important work of the monitors, who directly contribute to the prevention of further escalation.”