Despite recent progress in resolving the long-ongoing crisis in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, lifting European Union sanctions against Russia would be premature, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office, Miroslav Lajcak, told Sputnik in an interview, one week before the Normandy Four group will meet in Paris to discuss the Ukrainian peace process
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) Despite recent progress in resolving the long-ongoing crisis in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, lifting European Union sanctions against Russia would be premature, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office, Miroslav Lajcak, told Sputnik in an interview, one week before the Normandy Four group will meet in Paris to discuss the Ukrainian peace process.
"We welcome recent positive developments in Donbas. They are a glimmer of hope that the situation may evolve in a positive direction after long time of stagnation. We believe that the efforts of the parties involved will eventually lead to more substantial progress in the conflict resolution. Despite the above-mentioned progress achieved, the current situation does not represent a substantive reason for the review or lifting of sanctions yet," Lajcak, who is also the Slovak foreign minister, remarked.
At the same time, the diplomat outlined that constructive dialogue, within the framework of the so-called Normandy Four group, was crucial in bringing the long-standing conflict in Ukraine to a peaceful and prosperous conclusion.
"We recognize a positive impact of the Normandy format on settlement of the conflict in and around Ukraine. I hope very much that the process will continue and expect that a Normandy Four summit could be a serious milestone to reach the final goal - peace, stability and prosperity that Ukrainian people deserve," Lajcak added.
In 2014, the European Union placed economic sanctions on Moscow over the conflict in Donbas and Crimea's reunification with Russia. Russia has denied having any role in the fighting in Ukraine, defended the democratic procedure of Crimea's referendum and retaliated by imposing a food embargo on the Western nations that targeted it with sanctions.
The Normandy Four group of negotiators, including France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, will meet in Paris on December 9, after a number of breakthroughs in the region. In July, an indefinite ceasefire between Ukraine and the people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk entered into force, and there have been a number of mutual troop withdrawals. Despite these steps, ceasefire violations have been reported by both sides. On Sunday, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic claimed that Ukrainian forces committed seven ceasefire violations in the course of a 24 hour period.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the mutual withdrawal of troops in Stanytsia Luhanska, Petrivske and Zolote, and the agreement of "the Steinmeier formula," which would see the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk gain special status within the country, fulfill the conditions for the Normandy Four countries to meet. Russia's envoy to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, has outlined Russia's willingness to work together with the other Normandy Four group countries to address discrepancies in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
