Special Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sajdik and SMM Chief Monitor Apakan call for immediate humanitarian demining in eastern Ukraine

MINSK, 3 October 2018 - Ambassador Martin Sajdik, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, and Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, issued yesterday the following statement:

“We are deeply saddened that three children lost their lives, and two others were injured in recent days in Horlivka and Staromyhailivka in the east of Ukraine. There have been too many cases involving the death or injury of children as a result of ongoing violence and in particular the indiscriminate laying of mines and other explosive devices along the contact line. This situation cannot continue; all areas where mines and improvised explosive devices present a life-threatening risk for the civilian population, in particular for children and teenagers, must be demined without delay out of humanitarian considerations.

We urgently appeal to the sides to proceed with the rapid and full humanitarian demining of populated areas and entry-exit crossing points and, using adequate means of communication, to keep the population clearly informed of risk areas as well as areas where demining has been completed. We recall that mine action is a commitment that has been undertaken by all the sides to the Minsk agreements.”