MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) - A meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) to discuss ways to resolve the situation in eastern Ukraine is underway in Minsk, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The talks by the Trilateral Contact Group were preceded by the meeting of the working subgroups. During the TCG meeting in Minsk on 27 February, OSCE's special representative in the TCG Martin Sajdik urged the parties to the conflict to take urgent steps to improve the throughput capacity of checkpoints located along the line of contact. According to him, an increasing number of people cross the line of contact through the available checkpoints.
The diplomat recalled that last year saw the lowest number of casualties since the beginning of the conflict. This trend remains in place this year. However, civilians are still killed, which proves the indisputable importance of removing mines, in particular, along the roads in the vicinity of checkpoints.
The Humanitarian Working Group discussed ways to improve conditions of crossing the line of contact and the exchange of persons detained as a result of the conflict. The Economic Working Group discussed water provision, including the audit of the Voda Donbassa water supply system. They also discussed payment of pension benefits to people living in some areas of Donetsk Oblast and Lugansk Oblast. The Political Working Group took forward its exchanges on the implementation of the ‘Steinmeier formula', amnesty and the modalities of local elections in some areas of Donetsk Oblast and Lugansk Oblast.
