Today, as part of the work of the Contact Group’s security subgroup, the parties outlined their positions in terms of the tasks set by the Normandy format leaders. One of those most important tasks is to ensure a stable ceasefire along the line of contact, the DPR Foreign Affairs Ministry reports.
In this regard, the representatives of the Republics recalled that the previous truce was agreed upon to be open-ended and be backed by a series of additional measures to enhance and control it, according to which the parties should conduct investigations into all ceasefire violations and carry out appropriate disciplinary punishments against the violators.
“Since 21 July, when the renewed commitment for the indefinite ceasefire came into force, 22 civilians have been injured, 28 houses destroyed, 307 residential buildings, 37 civil infrastructure facilities and 8 vehicles have been damaged by AFU attacks.
None of these cases have been investigated by Ukraine, those responsible have neither been found nor prosecuted,” the DPR Plenipotentiary highlighted the problem.
Against this background, the Ukrainian party proposed agreeing on a new so-called “winter” truce in the near future.
“What is important is not the name of the truce or new dates, which are just another publicity move of the official Ukrainian government, but the effective observance of the ceasefire regime and additional measures for its enhancement and control, which had been previously agreed upon by the parties to be termless, and which no one declared to be no longer in force.
As a practical matter, the essential thing is not how the ceasefire is named, but how it is observed. The experience of the previous agreements shows that the Ukrainian side violates the ceasefire in the first 24 hours after its entry-into-force.
It is for this very purpose that the mechanism for additional measures of control over the current ceasefire was proposed and agreed upon with such difficulty. That is why the Republics proposed the Contact Group reaffirming their commitment to the full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire regime, backed by the implementation of all necessary measures to maintain it in accordance with their statement as of July 17, 2019,” Natalya Nikonorova clarified.
The negotiators also outlined their perspective on the further implementation of the Framework Decision and related processes.
“Kiev’s delegates did not make any specific proposals for new possible areas of disengagement, while our representatives came up with real working options.
In this connection, the Republics had to recall that in order to make further effective progress on the issue of disengagement, it was necessary to agree on a draft addendum to the Framework Decision, which would settle everything that had not been taken into account earlier.
The working paper has been summarized by the Mission and is on the table, all that is needed now is agree on the details and approve the Addendum. This will allow excluding all problematic aspects that have been revealed during the disengagement at the pilot areas and agreeing on new areas in a constructive way,” DPR Plenipotentiary Natalya Nikonorova said.
“In the communique following the meeting of the Normandy Four countries’ leaders, the Ukrainian president affirmed his commitment to agree with us on all legal aspects of the special status of Donbass. However, at the moment, we have not seen the Ukrainian side take this decision seriously. Although the Ukrainian parliament has extended the nominal validity of Article 1 of the law on the special status of Donbass, no work on amendments to it in consultation with us has been yet,” Nikonorova noted.
Note that it is not enough to prolong this legal act, it must be amended, in particular, the text of Steinmeier’s Formula must be implemented into it, the preconditions that disable the operation of the law be removed, and the articles of the law be actualized. In addition, a number of regulations stemming from the law on the special status still need to be agreed and adopted.
“However, instead of starting the work to agree on the full-fledged entry-into-force of the law on the special status of Donbass and constitutional reform to make the special status permanent, the Ukrainian leadership is taking unilateral actions. In particular, they submit for the parliament’s consideration a draft amendment to the constitution that fundamentally contradicts the Complex of Measures which, moreover, has not even been submitted for our discussion, say nothing of its mutual approval,” Natalya Nikonorova added.
The DPR Plenipotentiary once again focused on the importance of agreeing with the representatives of the Republics on all activities aimed at the implementation of the political items in the Complex of Measures, which base themselves on the special status of Donbass and its permanent enshrinement in the Constitution.
At the meeting of the humanitarian group, Kiev’s representatives did not solve the issue of procedural preparations for a prisoner exchange. This is delaying the implementation of the Normandy Format leaders’ recommendations. We have been expecting of Ukraine the implementation of this mechanism for two years now.
Basically, this position of Ukraine is nothing but the failure to comply with the unambiguous instructions of the Normandy Four leaders. We continue taking all reasonable actions to make Kiev’s representatives speed up this process, Nikonorova noted.