Ukraine’s renewed delegation takes part in TCG meeting on Donbas in Minsk

"The Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) held a regular meeting via video conferencing. Ukraine was represented at the meeting by a renewed delegation formed by a decree of President Volodymyr Zelensky," the report says.

The first thing Ukraine emphasized in the format of the Trilateral Contact Group, which includes Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, is the importance of fulfilling the agreements reached by the "Normandy Four" leaders during the summit in Paris. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to comply with security requirements, in particular the observance of a sustainable ceasefire regime.

In this regard, the Ukrainian party initiated an extraordinary meeting of the specialized group, as security issues are among the key ones.

As part of the security group's work, Ukraine supported the OSCE SMM and once again insisted on unconditional and unimpeded access of observers to the whole territory of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders, in particular to the temporarily occupied territories.

Ukraine, despite the quarantine measures, for its part fully supports the implementation of the mandate of the OSCE SMM and the ICRC, fully facilitates this, as well as ensures the unconditional implementation of their mandate.

The OSCE SMM, inter alia, noted a significant progress in implementing the updated demining plan, including the humanitarian one.

The humanitarian group continued to work on the formation of lists for the next stage of mutual release of detainees and lists of missing persons. The Ukrainian party insisted on the mutual release of detainees in the "all for all" format defined in the framework of the Normandy meeting on December 9, 2019. In addition, Ukraine insisted on providing access for the ICRC to detainees in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Ukraine called for compliance with the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).

The parties emphasized once again the need to open new checkpoints on the line of demarcation, taking into account primarily humanitarian criteria, and noted that the checkpoint in Zolote was equipped and ready to start operating at any time.

During the work of the political group, the Ukrainian party stressed that elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas may be held in accordance with the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine, and on the basis of the OSCE Copenhagen criteria, in particular the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights and protection of minority rights, only after Ukraine gains border control.

The Ukrainian party once again ruled out the possibility of enshrining the special status of ORDLO in the Constitution of Ukraine.

The representatives of Ukraine in the economic group continued to discuss the resumption of taxation and payments system in some districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine within the Ukrainian legal framework.

In the context of discussing the TCG’s work schedule, Ukraine once again stressed its willingness to work in a 24/7 format.

The Ukrainian party also noted the constructive nature of the work of the economic group, in which Ukraine and Russia were represented at the level of deputy economy ministers.

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