Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko voiced on Wednesday his hope that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (OSCE SMM) would engage more actively in the Donbas crisis settlement during Slovakia's OSCE presidency
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd January, 2019) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko voiced on Wednesday his hope that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (OSCE SMM) would engage more actively in the Donbas crisis settlement during Slovakia's OSCE presidency.
Slovakia will chair the OSCE throughout 2019, replacing Italy. In a year, it will pass the baton to Albania.
"I congratulate Slovakia on attaining the powers of OSCE chairmanship. We hope for effective cooperation, and a more active and ambitious role of the OSCE SMM in Donbas, Crimea, the waters of the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait," Poroshenko posted on Twitter.
The OSCE SMM is tasked with monitoring situation in the war-torn Ukrainian eastern region of Donbas. It has been deployed in the country since March 2014, following the Ukrainian government's request.
The mission's mandate does not extend to the Sea of Azov.
The armed conflict in Ukraine erupted in 2014 after Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), both located in Donbas, proclaimed independence refusing to recognize the new central government, which came to power in what the DPR and the LPR qualified as as coup. This prompted Kiev to launch a military operation in Donbas. Despite multiple attempts to reach agreement and involvement of mediators, the situation remains tense, with warring parties continuing to accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
