MINSK, 27 February (BelTA) – A session of the trilateral group on resolving the situation in Ukraine's east is in progress in Minsk, representatives of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.
A meeting of the subgroups of the trilateral contact group took place earlier today. During the previous session, which took place in Minsk on 13 February, the subgroup on humanitarian affairs welcomed the release of 33 captives, who were not involved in the ongoing conflict, from certain parts of Lugansk Oblast to the territory Ukraine's government controls. The captives were released on 7 February. On 13 February the subgroup continued discussing matters concerning consequent handovers of such captives.
12 February 2019 marked four years since a set of measures to implement the Minsk agreements was signed. This document along with the Minsk protocol, the Minsk memorandum represents a core component of the Minsk agreements, which guide the day-to-day operation of the trilateral contact group on Ukraine in Minsk. “Unfortunately, we've been unable to get close to resolving the conflict yet,” the OSCE's special representative in the trilateral contact group on resolving the situation in Ukraine's east Martin Sajdik stated. He went on saying that he had talked about it in a video conference during the session of the UN Security Council, which had taken place the night before (Minsk time).
The session of the trilateral contact group on resolving the situation in Ukraine's east was timed to the fourth anniversary of the second package of the Minsk agreements. Participants of the session drew attention to the humanitarian aspect of the conflict and the need to ensure the safety of civilians. The OSCE's role in helping resolve the conflict in Ukraine's east was mentioned.
