Press Statement of Special Representative Grau after the regular Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 27 May 2020

KYIV, 28 May 2020 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau, made the following statement to the press after the regular meetings of the TCG ‎and its working groups through video-conferencing:

“The security situation in the conflict zone in the east of Ukraine remains tense. Last week, the number of ceasefire violations rose by half compared to the previous one.

The number of civilian casualties has likewise increased. According to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, five children were injured in May, that is, more than in the first four months of this year altogether. It is unacceptable.

The extraordinary TCG meeting at the end of last week enabled to grant the necessary conditions for secure repair works on the high-voltage power line in the vicinity of Berezivske in the Luhansk region.

I urge the signatories of the Minsk Agreements to take further actions to lower tension. This issue was in the centre of the TCG discussions. Besides, the Security Working Group considered issues related to the identification of additional disengagement areas of forces and hardware as well the preparation and implementation of the updated demining plan.

The Political Working Group discussed aspects of the special status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the implementation of the ‘Steinmeier formula’ in Ukrainian legislation.

The Humanitarian Working Group focused on further mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees.

The participants also discussed the issue of providing the necessary security guarantees for the construction works in view of the simultaneous opening of additional entry-exit crossing points on the line of contact in the Luhansk region.

The Economic Working Group addressed issues of water supplies, pension payments and the resumption of socio-economic ties across the line of contact.”