Ukrainian president, OSCE chair discuss extension of SMM mandate in Donbas

Ukrainian president, OSCE chair discuss extension of SMM mandate in Donbas

Ukrinform
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Albania's Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Edi Rama, have discussed the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Donbas, the press service of the head of state has reported.

According to the report, Zelensky recalled that at a meeting in the Normandy format in Paris on December 9, 2019, the parties agreed on several points on the OSCE, which will help achieve peace in Donbas, in particular, round-the-clock work of the SMM, a mirror increase in the number of observers in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas, as well as access for the OSCE to areas where there was no disengagement.

"What is very important is 24/7 OSCE work throughout the entire territory of Donbas, including observation at the Ukrainian-Russian border. And it is very necessary that conditions are created for the safety of observers there. This is an important humanitarian mission," Zelensky said.

According to the Office of the President, Rama agreed that this format would help obtain more reliable surveillance data and stressed that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission should be strengthened.

In addition, the parties discussed economic relations between Ukraine and Albania, in particular, the development of the tourism industry and trade potential.

Zelensky also thanked Albania for supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"It is very important to us that Albania has always supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Thank you for that," Zelensky said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said on January 20 that Ukraine proposed strengthening the activities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission with additional human and financial resources.

On January 16, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Yevhen Tsymbaliuk said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council that it was necessary to strengthen the technical capacity of the OSCE SMM for round-the-clock monitoring, ensuring an adequate increase in the budget of the mission.

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