On December 15, Minsk hosted the first-ever meeting of representatives of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and a representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The event was attended by DPR Foreign Affairs Minister Natalya Nikonorova, LPR Foreign Affairs Minister Vladislav Daynego and Diplomatic Advisor to the LPR Head Rodion Miroshnik. PACE was represented at the meeting by Chief of the Alternative for Germany faction’s Committee for Economic Cooperation, Development and Healthcare in the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany Ulrich Oehme. Chairman of the German Union of Writers of Interethnic Concord Vladimir Sergienko acted as the mediator to the direct dialogue.
During the briefing on the outcome of the closed-door meeting, its participants briefly announced the main subjects on the agenda. In particular, Mr. Oehme noted that at the moment PACE is interested in gaining a full insight into the situation in Donbass on the basis of reliable information in order to work out correct and relevant proposals for the settlement of the conflict. It is for this purpose that the meeting with the representatives of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics was initiated and held.
Natalya Nikonorova thanked the PACE representatives, the Belarusian authorities and the mediators for the opportunity to hold such a meeting, where they managed to discuss a series of the most important matters. In particular, they raised such issues as the protection and enforcement of human rights in Donbass, the situation in the Minsk process, as well as the results of the recent meeting of the Normandy Four leaders. In addition, the DPR Foreign Minister welcomed the fact that the European representatives are interested in gaining objective information about the current situation in Donbass:
“During the meeting we discussed future possible steps of cooperation to objectively inform all organizations that have an impact on the course of the peace talks.
Natalya Nikonorova drew particular attention to the importance of meetings with official representatives of European authorities and international organizations because of the need for disseminating true information about Donbass.
At the end of the briefing, Mr. Oehme expressed the readiness to raise the topics discussed at today’s meeting as part of PACE’s next session in January 2020.