Next meeting of tripartite contact group on Ukraine expected in Minsk in near future


Negotiations in the Ukraine – Russia – OSCE format with participation of Donbas separatists are to facilitate the exchange of prisoners.

The representative of Kiev in the contact group, Leonid Kuchma, said on March 6: “We do not rule out the possibility of such a meeting, this conversation did happen, and the meeting was planned. All participants of the talks agreed that there is a need for a meeting in Minsk of the members of the tripartite contact group and representatives of certain regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.”

In turn, representative of the the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk (PRD) in the contact group, Denis Pushylin, said on March 7: PRD is in favor of having a meeting of the contact group, “to prevent disruption of the settlement process and give constructive turn to a set of measures implementing the Minsk agreements.” Pushylin said that at this meeting PRD proposes to discuss issues of prisoner exchange and amnesty for the parties to the conflict in Donbass, Donetsk news agency reports.

On February 12, in Minsk, hours-long negotiations in the Norman Four format of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany leadres were held. At the same time, the meeting of the tripartite contact group to resolve the situation in Ukraine he meeting took place in Minsk. As a result, a set of measures to implement the Minsk Agreements, signed in September 2014, was signed. The document consists of 13 items, it provides for a cease-fire in some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of demarcation between the conflicting parties, the exchange of prisoners and a number of other measures for the long-term political settlement of the situation in Ukraine.

After the February meeting in Minsk, representatives of the contact group worked in the videoconference mode. The latest videoconference was held on March 3.

ML, BelaPAN

TWITTER