Belarus ready to do everything possible to continue practical work to achieve peaceful settlement in Ukraine

29 ноября 2016

Although a major breakthrough - namely, the adoption of a road map for a peaceful settlement of the situation in the south-east of Ukraine - has not been achieved, the scheduled meeting at ministerial level was held Minsk at the highest organizational level.

The Belarusian platform for talks continues to be in demand. This is confirmed by the fact that the Norman Format meeting of foreign ministers was held in Minsk. This stage of the talks is the embodiment of hope for the continuation of joint practical work to achieve a peaceful settlement.

Summarizing the trilateral meeting of the contact group on Wednesday, OSCE Special Representative Martin Sajdik notices that numerous violations of the ceasefire and of the withdrawal of armaments are observed along the contact line in the Donbas. Most of the civilian and military casualties are the result of attacks with the use of heavy weapons. In other words, the effectiveness of actions by the parties to implement the agreement on the withdrawal of armaments is poor. The whole world is waiting for the document in which measures to resolve the situation will be spelled out clearly.

As for Belarus, the state is doing everything to restore peace in the region. Constructive initiatives of our country have contributed to the fact that Minsk has become, in fact, an ideal meeting place for the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Belarus does not emphasize its role: if there is a chance to stop the bloodshed and find a consensus, then it should be used.