Austria at OSCE calls situation in Donbas the biggest challenge in region

President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka states the conflict in Ukraine remains the biggest challenge in the OSCE region.

He said this during the 19th winter meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna on Thursday, February 20, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"The crisis in and around Ukraine remains the biggest challenge in the OSCE region," Sobotka said.

"In the autumn, negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow broke the deadlock: a ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners gave hope, but there is still a hard way to secure peace," he said.

Sobotka noted that diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict should continue, and the OSCE parliamentary dimension should join the process. “The goal must be a political decision,” the Austrian politician said.

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