Two journalists from Donbas join Ukrainian delegation to Trilateral Contact Group

09.06.2020 11:49

Ukrinform

Journalists Denys Kazansky and Sergiy Garmash have joined the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions.

The journalists wrote this on Facebook.

"An important announcement. As of today, I am participating in the meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas. Let me remind you that it is called a trilateral one because Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE are considered parties to the talks ('LPR/DPR' are not parties to the conflict). This is not about a consultative council that was to be created earlier and that was opposed by the society. The idea of creating such a council was abandoned," Kazansky said.

Garmash also announced the offer to join the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG.

"I was invited to join the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk. Today I will take part in the work of the political subgroup as a representative of ORDLO [certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions]. It sounds scary. In fact, I have been saying on all channels for five years that if you find the Minsk agreements so important - and they contain Ukraine's obligation to 'consult' and 'agree on' some bills with 'representatives of 'certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions' - then I am also from Donetsk, negotiate with me!" Garmash wrote.

On May 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed the composition of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group. It will continue to be headed by Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine's president in 1994-2005.

The delegation also includes Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov (first deputy head of the delegation), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, MP Oleksandr Merezhko (deputy head of the delegation), Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Yulia Svyrydenko (Ukraine's representative in the working subgroup on socio-economic issues), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy, MP Andriy Kostin (Ukraine's representative in the working subgroup on political issues), Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Polishchuk (Ukraine's representative in the working subgroup on security issues), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights, and MP Halyna Tretiakova (Ukraine's representative in the working subgroup on humanitarian issues).