OSCE Chairperson-in-Office calls for restraint following recent escalation in violence in eastern Ukraine

BELGRADE, 4 June 2015 –OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today condemned the latest surge in violence in eastern Ukraine, and called on all parties to return to the negotiating table, pursue a political solution to the conflict through the Trilateral Contact Group and its working groups, as well as to fully respect the Minsk Agreements. “This is the only way to bring suffering of innocent civilians to an end,” said Dačić.

“The use of force is unacceptable.  I am particularly concerned about the use of proscribed heavy weapons, as well as the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, which is a gross violation of the Minsk Agreements,” he said.

“All sides must refrain from the use of force, and strictly adhere to the ceasefire and other provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including the immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons.”

The Chairperson-in-Office also emphasized the importance of the safety and security of monitors from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM).  “Continued restrictions on the freedom of movement of monitors are inexcusable. They are a serious obstacle to the implementation and monitoring of a sustainable ceasefire,” Dačić said.