Ukraine proposes involving IDPs from Donbas in work of TCG's subgroups

This issue was discussed during a phone call between Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak and political advisers to the leaders of the member states of the Normandy Format, the press service of the President's Office reported.

"The Ukrainian side also proposed involving internally displaced persons who were forced to leave certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions after May 2014 to work in the TCG's subgroups as invited persons representing these areas," the report reads.

Yermak said that TCG participants will involve these people in the discussions, consultations and coordination of issues stipulated by the Minsk agreements.

He also emphasized the unacceptability of holding any negotiations with representatives of unrecognized quasi-state entities.

He said that in order to speed up the Minsk process, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had signed a decree significantly increasing Ukraine's representation in the TCG.

"We have raised it to a very high official level," Yermak said.

Yermak proposed that at the next meeting of the TCG, due to be held on May 14, the sides agree on the expanded membership of delegations of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE in accordance with the proposals of the Ukrainian side.

"The high official status of members of the delegations will help make decisions faster and more efficiently, implement them and see who does not implement them," Yermak said.

On May 5, Zelensky signed a decree approving the composition of the Ukrainian delegation for participation in the Trilateral Contact Group for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions.

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