OSCE Chair Lajčák visits reopened Stanytsia Luhanska Bridge; hails progress in building confidence but says major steps still needed to resolve conflict

KHARKOV/STANYTSIA LUHANSKA, Ukraine, 29 November 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, together with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasyl Bodnar, today visited the repaired and reopened Stanytsia Luhanska Bridge.

“I am very happy to see for myself that the repair works of the bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska were completed ahead of schedule and that pedestrians are now able to safely cross. It is a clear sign that change for the better is possible,” the OSCE Chair said today. The bridge, the only crossing point at the contact line in the Luhansk Region, was opened last week by Ukrainian President Zelensky.

“My first trip as OSCE Chair took me to Stanytsia Luhanska in January. I was shocked and depressed to see elderly people forced to cross a damaged bridge and put themselves at risk, just to do basic things like collect their pensions or visit relatives. It was a disgraceful situation – and not something we would expect to see in Europe, in the 21st century,” said Minister Lajčák.

“When I talked to some of these people, I could see how defeated they were. Having to climb the shaky wooden ramp built to substitute for the damaged section of the bridge was extremely difficult and challenging, and I could see that they had no hope for it to change,” Lajčák recalled.

“This is why I am so pleased to be here today, to see a fully functioning bridge. For me, it is probably the key achievement to happen under our watch at the OSCE, in line with our priority to alleviate the impacts of the crisis for the people on the ground. Because it really makes a difference to them,” he said.

OSCE Chair Lajčák also highlighted the role the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) played in monitoring the repairs, and stressed the need for increased support to its crucial work from all OSCE participating States. “The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission is playing a key role in reducing tensions, preventing escalations and building confidence,” he noted. “The monitors act as our eyes and ears, as they make up the most relevant international presence currently on the ground. Without them here, things would be much worse – and they need our support.”

Speaking about high expectations for the upcoming OSCE Ministerial Council on 5 and 6 December in Bratislava, and the leaders’ Summit in the Normandy Format in Paris, on 9 December, as well as the ongoing important work of his Special Representative, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, Lajčák stressed the need to see more positive steps to make daily life easier for the people in the east of Ukraine, including the opening of more crossing points. “I do not have to remind anyone that this conflict has been going on for more than five years now. It is time to finally resolve it,” the OSCE Chair concluded.