Foreign Ministry expects OSCE to help in regulating Ukrainian crisis

On July 9-10 Alena Kupchina, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, is in Helsinki (Finland) at an informal meeting of Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The meeting will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act following the discussions on security and cooperation in Europe, a predecessor of the contemporary OSCE. Among other things the declaration calls for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine by all parties, BelTA informs with the reference to the OSCE press service.

 “Apart from commemorative events the participants of the informal meeting will discuss the current situation with and challenges to the European security, including in the context of the Ukrainian conflict which affects the security and stability in the OSCE zone,” Dmitry Mironchik, spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. 

The 2015 Helsinki Declaration reads that the OSCE PA “calls for the full implementation of the 2014 Minsk Agreements and 2015 package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, including the comprehensive ceasefire, and calls on all parties to work towards a peaceful resolution and durable political settlement of the crisis in and around Ukraine”. The OSCE PA also condemned the continued violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Apart from that, the declaration also welcomes the deployment of the special monitoring mission to Ukraine. In accordance with the document the mission is an important instrument for monitoring and supporting the implementation of all the principles and commitments within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The mission is also an important instrument for assisting with the implementation of the package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The OSCE PA calls for the OSCE special monitoring mission to be given full, safe and unhindered access throughout the entire territory of Ukraine.

The declaration also commends the diplomatic efforts of the Normandy format and the work of the trilateral contact group and its subgroups. The document reiterates that the crisis in Ukraine can be resolved only through diplomatic and political means.

The OSCE PA called on “all participating states to respect OSCE human dimension commitments in and around Ukraine, and on all participating states, de facto authorities and other groups in and around Ukraine to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law, to respect and protect human rights, and to conduct prompt and effective investigations into all allegations of human rights violations”.