BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2018) The EU authorities should not be guided by the interests of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the bloc's policy in Central Europe, Helmut Scholz, the member of the European Parliament from Germany, told Sputnik, calling for finding tools to implement the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
On Wednesday, Scholz, Jiri Mastalka, the member of the European Parliament from the Czech Republic, and EU lawmaker from Latvia Miroslavs Mitrofanovs organized a roundtable atn the European Parliament, aimed at making the sides to the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region overcome their differences and approaching the crisis resolution. The meeting included representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"The EU cannot let NATO decide for its policy in Central Europe. We need tools to make progress on the Minsk 2 agreement. It is the only one we have. I am sure the timetables as seen by Ukraine and the Donbass separatists can be reconciled with the help of Russia and the EU. We cannot put all the blame [on] one party alone. We must be careful to keep the trust of all protagonists. We need an open and transparent discussion. We had it today. I am sure all participants will agree. [It is] up to us to persuade more colleagues to join," Scholz said at the end of the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.
The EU lawmaker told reporters on the sidelines of the roundtable that "hooligan structures" should not control the Ukrainian state.
"There is the genuine question of it is possible for Kiev to control its state borders ... Ukraine should not be a buffer zone for NATO, we do not want direct military confrontation with the Russian Federation. Finally, we can reach out, and create an atmosphere in Europe to contribute to solving the situation," Scholz suggested.
The conflict erupted in 2014 after Donbas residents refused to recognize the central government which came to power in Kiev, prompting the central authorities to launch an offensive in the region. The conflict has claimed lives of over 10,000 people and is still ongoing.
Measures to end the conflict included the 2015 agreements on the ceasefire between the Ukrainian warring parties, signed in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Despite the deal, violations both on the part of Kiev forces and local militia have been reported since then.
The western states, including the European Union and the United States, have accused Russia of involvement in the Ukrainian crisis. Notably, Brussels introduced sanctions against Moscow making the restrictions relief conditional on the implementation of the Minsk accords. Moscow, in its turn, has denied any meddling in the situation, saying it was not the party to the conflict and calling for the implementation of the Minsk accords by Kiev.
