MINSK, 27 January (BelTA) – Ukraine is ready to open a crossing point on the line of contact in Lugansk Oblast to civilian traffic and humanitarian aid, OSCE special representative in the trilateral contact group on Ukraine Martin Sajdik told media on 20 January, BelTA has learned.
"An agreement was reached to open this point on 12 February, the day when the Minsk accords were signed a year ago. I think this is a very important step forward. When we started negotiations there was no crossing point on the line of contact in Lugansk Oblast. Now we will have a second one,” said Martin Sajdik. He explained that this issue was discussed by the working group on humanitarian affairs, and an agreement on the date was reached at the level of the contact group.
So far there is no progress in the negotiations on the issue of prisoners. "At the same time there is a positive moment. A seminar was held in Lugansk by the International Committee of the Red Cross on missing persons which is another important humanitarian issue. Seminars of this kind were held in Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev,” said the OSCE representative.
Martin Sajdik added that the participants in the working group on security affairs exchanged information on ongoing mine clearance on the sites which were previously agreed upon. "Particular attention was paid to the safety of the persons contributing to mine clearance, especially in the areas along the line of contact," he said. In this connection, the group discussed the joint measures to ensure security of demining and to prevent ceasefire violations in general.
