As part of the April 14 discussion of the political part of the conflict settlement in Donbass, it was possible to return to the usual order of work. DPR Plenipotentiary and Foreign Affairs Minister Natalia Nikonorova commented on the outcomes of the meeting.
“Today, a decision was announced that, we hope, will unblock the discussion on the political track. In particular, in order to continue the negotiations on political issues blocked by Kiev, the OSCE representatives exerted the necessary pressure on the Ukrainian side to agree with one of our alternative proposals: to return to the format of the Contact Group meetings in terms of discussing political issues, which it had been several years before provocations of Kiev. It was decided that now the meetings of the Contact Group and the working group on political issues will be held only with the participation of official parties’ representatives. The representatives of the public, neither from Ukraine, nor from the Republics, will not be present. Nevertheless, we are also well aware that Kiev can at any time expect a breakdown of this agreement and further provocative actions to drag out the negotiation process,” the DPR Plenipotentiary said.
Natalia Nikonorova also drew attention to the fact that now, when the organizational contradictions of the previous months initiated by Kiev have been resolved, it is necessary to start work on the approved agenda.
“We believe that in today’s situation, the most effective impetus for launching productive work on the political track will be Kiev’s provision of a response to our draft Roadmap for the implementation of the Package of Measures. We sent this document seven months ago — a month before the Ukrainian proposals on this issue, but it still remains extremely relevant: if it is agreed upon within the Contact Group, and then at the level of the Verkhovna Rada and the President of Ukraine, this document will become a necessary act in the current conditions of Kiev’s commitment to the Minsk agreements and a strong support for their implementation,” Natalia Nikonorova said.
