Press Statement of the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, after the consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group on 23 November 2016

MINSK, 23 November 2016 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Martin Sajdik made the following press statement after the meeting of the TCG ‎and its Working Groups in Minsk on 23 November 2016:

“In the area of ​​security:

1. The situation along the line of contact remains tense, including numerous violations of existing agreements, concerning, in particular, the cease-fire and withdrawal of heavy weapons.

The majority of civilian and military casualties are a result of shelling with heavy weapons. These weapons should not be there, they should be withdrawn according to the Minsk agreements. Unfortunately, the performance of the sides in implementing the agreements on withdrawing heavy weapons leaves much to be desired in all respects.

2. Particular attention was given to the identification of new areas for disengagement of forces and hardware. The parties have devoted a lot of time and effort to the issue, in particular thanks to the personal contribution of the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMM) and Co-ordinator of the Working Group on Security Issues, Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan.

In the Working Group on Humanitarian Issues the detailed discussion centered on the release of persons detained in the context of the conflict, primarily the release of the sick and wounded, women and minors.

The issue of missing persons was also discussed.

I am happy to point out the fact that the Ukrainian side has increased the limit on personal cargo to be transported across the line of contact from 50 to 75 kilograms per person. The Ukrainian announcement to foresee an increase of personnel at the checkpoints is also a positive development.

The Co-ordinator of the Working Group on Humanitarian Issues, Ambassador Toni Frisch, has been working in a committed and sustainable way to achieve such improvements.

Concerns about the situation of water and electricity supply were expressed. I personally appealed to the participants of the Minsk process to urgently address the issue of water supply in Luhansk region. Unfortunately, the issue remains unresolved due to the lack of will of the parties to constructively address the payment issue. Today, I have repeatedly underlined that continuing on this path would imply serious consequences for the population.

Among the political issues, the discussion focused on the so-called ’Steinmeier formula.’"