“Today, the participants of the TCG and its working groups continued to discuss the ideas elaborated at our previous meeting. As you understand, this work requires thorough preparation.
In particular, thisregards the disengagement of forces and hardware in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska. The intention to launch it voiced by the sides in Minsk two weeks ago, has not yet been implemented. The reason for this was ceasefire violations. It is worth noting, however, that such violations occurred after the sides had expressed this intention. Before that, there had been no cease-fire violations for a fairly long while.
I have a feeling that the sides really want to disengage their forces and hardware from Stanytsia Luhanska. I sincerely hope that it will take place, but today I cannot predict the exact date.
A similar situation concerns the cessation of fire. Despite the sides’ clear interest in a so-called “harvest ceasefire”, today, unfortunately, they could not yet reach a common understanding on the text of the joint statement.
This ceasefire, along with broad mine action, is crucial for civilians residing in the conflict area.
A ceasefire is also indispensable for children who have recently finished the school year. Children have the right to a vacation without fear.
These issues were today in the focus of Security working group, and work on them will be actively taken forward.
Among other issues on the agenda, the Economic working group paid particular attention to water supply issues in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on both sides of the contact line.
The Humanitarian working group continued discussions related to the exchange of detainees, search for missing persons, as well as the possibilities of improving the conditions of crossing the contact line via the checkpoint in Stanytsia Luhanska.
The Political working group exchanged views on its well-known agenda, namely the implementation of the ‘Steinmeier formula’, amnesty and the modalities of local elections in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”
Source: OSCE
The post Sajdik: I have a feeling that the sides really want to disengage their forces and hardware from Stanytsia Luhanska first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>“Today [26 June], the Ukrainian military withdrew from one of the positions in front of the Stanytsia Luhanskaya checkpoint. It took place under the observation of OSCE representatives, who were on both sides. In addition, Lieutenant General Alexander Sirsky, the Commander of the United Forces, personally observed the withdrawal of troops,” the press center of the JFO said.
Roman Ivanov, a representative of the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic” in the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC), announced the readiness to start disengagement in Stanytsa Luhanskaya. This was reported by RBK-Ukraine with reference to the rosSMI.
The OSCE Special Representative to Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, welcomed the disengagement process:
“I hope that the successful implementation of this operation at Stanytsia Luhanska will serve as a catalyst for further steps towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, and, in particular, a recommitment to a robust, sustainable and permanent ceasefire”, he said.
Sources: OSCE, JFO press center, RBK-Ukraine
The post The first stage of disengagement took place near Stanytsa Luhanskaya first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>
In his report Sajdik focused on the success of the ceasefire, the restoration of the bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska, as well as the prospects of resuming the disengagement of forces and resources in Zolotoy and Petrovski:
“The ceasefire that had been agreed by the TCG and entered into force on 21 July 2019 continues to yield results despite some deterioration of the situation in the last days.
According to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, no civilian casualties have been recorded over the last two weeks. Besides, this year the number of civilian casualties remains on the lowest level since the beginning of the conflict.
Once again, I urge all the sides to fully comply with their commitments, especially with a view to the beginning of the school year.
I also want to note the positive dynamics in the implementation of the TCG decision concerning the repair works of the bridge at Stanytsia Luhanska.
In particular, mine clearance of the pathway to the bridge has been completed. Now the fortifications are being dismantled. This enables to launch the preparation and the subsequent repair works.
Today, all of these issues have been in the focus of the TCG and the Security Working Group. In addition, the prospects of renewal of the disengagement of forces and hardware in Zolote and Petrivske were discussed.
The Economic Working Group, among other topics, paid particular attention to water supply and property issues in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Humanitarian Working Group focused on the questions related to the exchange of detainees.
The Political Working Group discussed topics related to the implementation of the ‘Steinmeier formula’, amnesty, local elections and decentralization”.
Source: OSCE
The post Sajdik: The results of the recent TCG meetings inspire some optimism first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>
“As it is known, on 2 March 2018, the Trilateral Contact Group, with the participation of the representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR), re-affirmed full commitment to a comprehensive, sustainable and unlimited cease-fire, starting from 5 March 2018.
Following this statement and as facilitated by the sides’ efforts, recently it has become possible to significantly reduce the average number of ceasefire violations to one of the lowest levels over the past two years.
This year, it has also been possible to achieve a significant reduction in the number of civilian casualties. Compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, the respective number has declined three times, according to the preliminary data provided by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. All this clearly demonstrates that with the political will numerous achievements can be accomplished.
Further adherence to the cessation of fire and the general situation in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine were today the main discussion topics of the Working Group on Security.
In particular, the participants stressed that the successful implementation of ceasefire requires strict adherence to the previously agreed principles, such as:
One of the major issues under discussion at the Economic Working Group meeting was the operation of the mobile network Vodafone-Ukraine. With the participation of the representative of Vodafone-Ukraine, the Working Group continued to discuss practical steps necessary to re-establish and ensure mobile communication in CADR and CALR.
The participants of the Working Group discussed the issues of water deliveries in the supply systems “Karbonyt” and “Voda Donbassa”, repayment of arrears to former employees of the Ukrainian Railways in CADR and CALR as well as the return of freight cars currently located in the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine.
The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues continued the discussion of issues related to the exchange of detainees.
With the participation of the ICRC representative in Ukraine, the Group also discussed issues related to the operation of entry-exit checkpoints at the contact line, in particular in Stanytsia Luhanska.
The participants of the Political Working Group exchanged views on the future implementation of the so-called ‘Steinmeier formula’, amnesty, local elections and the special status of CADR and CALR as stipulated by the Minsk Agreements. According to the Coordinator of the Working Group, Ambassador Pierre Morel, close co-operation between the TCG and its Working Groups with the ‘Normandy Four’ plays, in particular, a very important role”.
For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/chairmanship/375352
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“I truly regret that on 7th August 2019 the Security working group of the Trilateral Contact Group was not able to hold its extraordinary meeting in form of a video-conference, as had been proposed by the Ukrainian side […] I urge all sides to fully, entirely and unconditionally adhere to their recommitment to ceasefire that was agreed in the TCG and successfully came into force on July 21”.
According to “Novosti Donbassa”, the extraordinary meeting did not take place because of the refusal of DPR representatives, who considered such an initiative premature.
Sources: OSCE, “Novosti Donbassa”
The post Security working group of the TCG was not able to hold its extraordinary meeting first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>At today’s meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups, priority was given to the issues of security, compliance with the ceasefire and the exchange of detainees. With regard to this, the TCG adopted the following statement:
“The Trilateral Contact Group with the participation of representatives from certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in connection with the forthcoming Christmas and New Year festivities, stress the necessity to ensure peace and tranquility and, guided by earlier agreements and obligations of the sides:
• Reaffirm their commitment to a comprehensive, sustainable and unlimited ceasefire, starting at 00:00 on 23 December 2017 (Kyiv time), underlining at the same time the necessity of the issuance of, and compliance with, the respective orders, including the necessity of disciplinary measures for ceasefire violations;
• Confirm the ambition to accomplish, as earlier agreed, the exchange of detainees before the New Year and Christmas holidays;
• Express their common commitment to the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements”.
And now about the discussions in the Working Groups.
The participants of the Economic Working Group continued discussions on water supply issues and the possibilities of arrears’ payment to the former employees of the Ukrainian Railways company in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR).
The Political Working Group continued to discuss the issues related to the definition of the modalities of the “Steinmeier formula” as well as its future implementation.
Today was the last meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups this year. Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the TCG members and on my own behalf, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Republic of Belarus and in particular to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their all-round support for our work.
I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues in the TCG, President Leonid Kuchma and Boris Gryzlov, as well as to the representatives of CADR and CALR, Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego.
I also thank the Coordinators of the Working Groups Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Ambassador Pierre Morel, Ambassador Toni Frisch and Per Fischer. I am grateful to all the participants of the TCG and its Working Groups.
My gratitude also goes to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, and, of course, to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission for their activities for the benefit of the civilian population in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.
I want to thank my colleagues in Kyiv, whose daily work is indispensable. I also express my appreciation to the team of Technical Unit Minsk: Anastasiya Labada, Sergei Kluchenovich, Sergei Paulavitski, Volha Hapeyeva and Igor Gorlatov.
Of course, I would like to thank all of you, media representatives, for your interest in our work. Your attention and high requirements to us are among the conditions of our common success.”
Finally, I express my gratitude to the OSCE Austrian Chairmanship for its contribution to our work in 2017.”
The post Press statement of Special Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sajdik after the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on 20 December 2017 (Eng) first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>“Why did Surkov (Russian presidential adviser Vladislav Surkov.-Kommersant) meet with “dobrovoltsy” after the Norman summit (congress of the Donbas Volunteer Union, SDD, December 15, 2019)? What factor are these “dobrovoltsy” in Russian politics? After that meeting, Boroday (SDD head Alexander Boroday.-Kommersant) said that the conflict can only be resolved militarily. Isn’t this a domestic political factor in Russia?”
Read the whole interview in Russian here.
The post “The giant shouldn’t say to the dwarf, you’re a threat to me”: Martin Saydik on prospects for resolving the conflict in Donbass first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>
“The day before yesterday marked the third anniversary of the endorsement of the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements.
From my point of view, the three years of its implementation have demonstrated that, despite certain difficulties, the Minsk process is operational and brings results. This was proven even today, in particular when the issues of the Security Working Group were discussed.
The continued compliance with the cessation of fire as well as the security of the civilian population and critical infrastructure were the main purpose of our deliberations today. As proposed by the Working Group on Security, the TCG reiterated its commitment to earlier decisions on a comprehensive, sustainable and unlimited ceasefire, as well as decisions on the withdrawal of forces and hardware, removal of heavy weapons, mine action and the prohibition of live-fire exercises near the line of contact. Let me remind you that it was during the last two and a half years that we were able to work out the solutions on these matters here in Minsk.
Before moving on to the results of the Economic Working Group, I would like to recall one more anniversary that is approaching in early March. This is the introduction of so-called “external management” of the enterprises under Ukrainian jurisdiction in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR) and the trade ban across the contact line. As it turned out, these decisions caused considerable economic damage to all of Ukraine, and in particular to the population of the Donbas. I also raised this issue last week in Vienna when speaking to the OSCE Permanent Council.
I call on the sides to the conflict to demonstrate realism and the corresponding political will and to abolish these decisions, which have an adverse impact on the standard of living of the population.
And now about the Economic Working Group. It continued the discussion of the possibilities to resume the operation of Vodafone-Ukraine in CADR.
In addition, the Group considered water supply issues in the systems “Karbonyt” and “Voda Donbassa”, repayment of arrears to former employees of the Ukrainian Railways in CADR and CALR, as well as environmental issues related to the flooding of coalmines in the conflict zone.
The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues discussed further steps necessary to prepare the next exchange of detainees.
Today the participants of the Political Working Group continued their exchange of views on the new law ‘On the peculiarities of the state policy on securing the state sovereignty of Ukraine over the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions’.”
The post Press Statement of Special Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sajdik after Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 14 February 2018 first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>“I have repeatedly stressed that one of the main tasks of the Trilateral Contact Group is to ensure the security and decent living conditions for civilians in the conflict zone. With this regard, I would like to draw your attention to some alarming trends.
For the last two months, the number of civilian casualties has dramatically increased as compared to early 2018. Among them, child fatalities are of particular concern. The day before yesterday a 15-year-old girl was killed near Toretsk as a result of a mortar attack. On 22 May, a 14-year-old boy was killed and three children were injured in Debaltseve as a result of a grenade explosion in a bus.
This is unacceptable. The warm season has started and school holidays are ahead. With this in mind, I call on the sides to do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties and pay particular attention to the safety of children.
The situation around civilian infrastructure remains tense as well.
As you know, the situation around the Donetsk Filtering Station (DFS) was discussed at the previous TCG meetings. Unfortunately, despite the sides’ security guarantees and the reinforced patrolling of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, further ceasefire violations have occurred near the DFS.
I also want to mention two recent incidents: the shelling of medical facilities in the government-controlled Toretsk and the undermining of Shterovsky road bridge in certain areas of Luhansk region.
In this regard, the security of civilians and critical infrastructure in the conflict zone and in particular, in the area of the Donetsk Filtering Station, were the focus of today’s discussions in the Working Group on Security. At the same time, the Coordinator of the Working Group, Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, stressed that the withdrawal of heavy weapons, especially from the populated areas, is a key prerequisite for the cessation of fire in the conflict zone.
The Working Group on Economic Issues continued to discuss further steps to be taken to recover and improve mobile communication of Vodafone-Ukraine in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR). The current issues related to water deliveries in the supply systems “Karbonyt” and “Voda Donbassa” as well as pension payments and environmental safety were duly considered, too.
The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues continued its discussion on the exchange of detainees and the conditions of their detention, as well as on the issue of missing persons.
The participants of the Working Group also discussed the improvement of conditions for crossing the contact line via checkpoints, in particular in Stanytsia Luhanska.
The Working Group on Political Issues continued to discuss issues related to the sequence of implementation of the so-called ‘Steinmeier formula’ and the modalities of the local elections in CADR and CALR”.
Source: OSCE
The post Press Statement of Special Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sajdik after Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 30 May 2018 first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>“As you know, the Normandy Four Foreign Ministers meeting took place in Berlin the day before yesterday. The sides expressed their recommitment to the Minsk agreements and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. I am convinced that the activation of the Normandy Four at different levels will also give significant political impetus to our work here in Minsk.
Today I would like to note a few important trends. This year, to date, the number of civilian casualties has been significantly reduced compared to the similar period of 2017. The total number of casualties declined by 55%, and the number of fatalities by 37%. I want to say, however, that even a single casualty is too much. Regrettably, this year the number of child fatalities is bigger by one child compared to the last year; this raises my indignation.
As regards the Donetsk Filtering Station (DFS), I am glad that all the repair works have been completed thanks to the security guarantees provided to the employees. I hope that in the future I will not have to talk again about the DFS in my briefings.
This topic was discussed today in the Security Working Group. Besides, issues related to the disengagement of forces and hardware in the agreed disengagement areas were duly considered.
The Economic Working Group continued its discussion on the way to restore and improve the mobile communication of Vodafone-Ukraine in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR). It was noted that more time and considerable technical investments are required to restore full-fledged high-quality communication services.
The participants also considered the issues of water deliveries in the supply systems “Karbonyt” and “Voda Donbassa”.
The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues continued its discussion on the exchange of detainees as well as on the issue of missing persons.
Another important topic for the Working Group was the improvement of conditions for crossing the contact line via checkpoints, including the one in Stanytsia Luhanska. In particular, the repairs of the access pathway to the bridge on the northern bank of the Seversky Donets were discussed.
The Working Group on Political Issues further considered the implementation of the so-called ‘Steinmeier formula’, amnesty and modalities of local elections in CADR and CARL. As I have already mentioned, active interaction with the Normandy Four is of particular importance for the activities of the Political Working Group.”
Source: OSCE
The post Press Statement of Special Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sajdik after Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 13 June 2018 first appeared on CivilMPlus.]]>