Press Statement of Special Representative Grau after the regular Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 28 October 2020

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

“According to the assessments of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, the overall dynamics of the compliance with the ceasefire continues, with a positive impact on the lives of civilians in the conflict zone. For three months, the number of violations has remained well below the level recorded prior to the enactment of measures to strengthen the ceasefire on 27 July 2020. This reflects the importance of the political will to continue sustain the ceasefire.

The security situation and compliance with the ceasefire, including the functioning of the coordination mechanism for responding to ceasefire violations, were central topics of discussion in the Security Working Group.

The meeting participants confirmed a common understanding with regard to the location of additional disengagement areas as well as the updated demining plan. However, it was not possible to agree to launch the implementation.

The discussion in the Working Group on Political Issues did not advance again. In an effort to enhance the work on conflict resolution, the TCG tasked the Working Group to urgently develop a draft action plan based on written proposals by the Working Group participants, in full compliance with the Minsk Agreements.

In the Humanitarian Working Group, the preparations for the simultaneous opening of the new entry-exit crossing points (ECCPs) in Zolote and Shchastia of the Luhansk region were discussed. The participants assured that both ECCPs would be ready to open on 10 November 2020.

In addition, issues related to the settlement of the legal status of certain persons released in the previous exchanges were considered.

I urge that every effort be exerted to proceed with mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees based on the “all for all” principle, as provided for in the Minsk agreements.

The Economic Working Group focused on water supplies across the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The discussion also included environmental issues as well as questions of pension payment for the citizens living in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine”.