Good faith must continue in observing Minsk Package deal, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office urges

VIENNA, 27 February 2015 – All sides in eastern Ukraine must continue to fulfil in good faith their obligations under the Minsk Package of Measures, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said today in Vienna following a meeting with the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and the permanent representatives of the two other Troika members – Ambassadors Thomas Greminger of Switzerland and Rüdiger Lüdeking of Germany.

Joining the meeting via video link from Kyiv were the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office to the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, and the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan.

“I was pleased to hear today from Ambassador Tagliavini and Ambassador Apakan that there are signs that the ceasefire is being largely respected and that heavy weapons are being moved away from the respective lines according to commitments set out in Minsk,” said Dačić. “I welcome this news and call on all sides to continue these encouraging moves towards irreversible withdrawal of heavy weapons, with the primary aim  to create conditions for the full implementation of all provisions of the Package.”

The OSCE Troika consists of representatives of the current, preceding and future Chairmanships of the Organization and also includes OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier.