OSCE Heidi Grau ‘s statement on Ukraine

Rome [ENA] After the May 2014 election of Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, a group of representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was formed . It is a means to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the war in the Donbass region of Ukraine. Before the formation of the

Trilateral Contact Group, unrest deeply affected the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan movement and the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. After an informal meeting of heads of state at the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of D Day in Normandy on 6 June 2014, it was planned that a group should be created to facilitate dialogue between the Ukrainian government and the Russian government. Relations between Russia and Ukraine were extremely tense following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and Russia had also been accused by Ukraine and western leaders of having fomented the unrest in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau, on 8 April 2020 made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG ‎and its working groups: “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the regular meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group and its Working Groups were held through video conferencing from 6 to 8 April 2020. The Humanitarian Working Group focused its debates on the exchange of detainees. The sides agreed in principle on the next phase of the exchange with a view to its completion in the near future. Aspects of the opening of new entry-exit crossing points on the line of contact in the Luhansk region were further discussed.

The Security Working Group paid major attention to the identification of additional disengagement areas of forces and hardware. Yet, further efforts are still needed to come to a decision on this issue. In the discussion on mine action, the demining of civilian facilities and their surroundings was prioritized. In this regard, emphasis was made on the need for timely mine clearance of entry-exit crossing points and adjacent areas in the period before the future lifting the ongoing restrictions on crossing the line of contact. The Economic Working Group discussed the question of economic relations across the line of contact.

The Economic Working Group discussed the question of economic relations across the line of contact. The discussion also touched upon pressing environmental issues and currenyt issues of water supplies to certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR). The Political Working Group discussed aspects related to the special status of CADR and CALR, as foreseen by the Minsk Agreements”.