Press statement by the Trilateral Contact Group

The Trilateral Contact Group of senior representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the OSCE convened in Kiev on July 17, 2014.

In view of the terrible crash of a Malaysian airliner in the region of Donetsk and in order to agree on a number of urgent practical measures, the Group held a video conference with representatives of separatist groups in Donetsk.

The representatives of separatist groups in Donetsk committed to the following:

1.   As a matter of priority, they shall close off the site of the catastrophe and allow local authorities to start preparations for the recovery of bodies;

2.   they shall provide safe access and security guarantees to the national investigation commission, including international investigators, in the area under their control;

3.   they shall provide safe access and security guarantees to OSCE monitors;

4.     they shall cooperate with the relevant authorities of Ukraine on all practical questions arising in the course of the recovery and investigation works.