At the security subgroup meeting in Minsk, the parties put forward specific proposals with the coordinates of potential sites and a draft supplement to the Framework Decision, which is necessary for the implementation of further forces and assets disengagement. DPR Foreign Affairs Minister and plenipotentiary to the Minsk talks Natalya Nikonorova commented on the results of the subgroup’s work.
“To date, the actual discussion process, in fact, has just begun. The OSCE coordinator, summarizing the proposals put forward by the parties, noted that there was a coincidence in only one of the 9 workable options, which is located in near the Oktyabr—Gnutovo EECP (entry/exit checkpoint) in the south of our Republic.
At the same time, we note that this coincidence is very rough: the parties’ vision of the disengagement sites’ coordinates in this location differs considerably.
It is important to understand here that it is necessary to coordinate three sections in a package so as to proceed with the discussion of the disengagement process schedule. Along with that, we continue to believe that this entire work should be carried out as part of a phased withdrawal of forces along the entire contact line.
As will be recalled, in the future, to resolve the important aspects of the disengagement process that were left unattended, it is extremely important to coordinate and initial the supplement to the Framework decision. However, the Ukrainian party deliberately impedes the discussion of the new sites issue, which is why the negotiators do not have enough time to move on to working on the supplement. It is encouraging that Mr. Chevik fully shares our position and intends to solve this problem at the subgroup’s level as soon as possible,” Natalya Nikonorova said.