Ukraine accuses separatists of blocking the release of prisoners
Another meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on settling the security situation in the Donbas region has been concluded in Minsk as reported by the Press Secretary of the Ukrainian Representative Leonid Kuchma, Daria Olifer, on her Facebook page.
"The main issue for Ukraine is security. Attacks using weapons banned by the Minsk Agreements continues in the Donbas region. These attacks are also conducted in the areas designated for clearance. The full implementation of the safety conditions is a key and fundamental point for further progress in political, social and humanitarian issues," Olifer said.
This was also stated the day before by the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, speaking at the ceremonial meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Constitution Day.
"The release of hostages has been blocked. Over the past week we received warnings about the deteriorating situation with the release of our people. The families received information that their relatives were transferred from the jail at the former Donetsk SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) building. Ukraine demands that the representatives of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions provide information on the whereabouts of our citizens. Earlier, Ukraine proposed to hold a "family day" so that relatives from both sides could visit their loved ones. However, we have not received a response regarding this initiative," Olifer said.
The subgroup on economic issues began its work on the demands to clarify the so-called "law on nationalization" in the separatist republics, which appeared in the media.
According to Olifer, Ukraine considers such actions as a "complete dismantling of the Minsk Agreements." During the discussion, the representatives of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) and Russia agreed that such actions are illegal and contrary to the Minsk Agreements. After that, the representative of the separatist said that the information about the so-called "nationalization" is not true.
"The work of a political subgroup is difficult. At Ukraine’s request, during the next meeting, which is scheduled for July 13, 2016, the meeting participants will discuss the establishment of a subgroup to restore Kiev’s control over the Ukrainian-Russian border," the Press Secretary of Leonid Kuchma added.
As it was previously reported, the last meeting of the Contact Group took place on the 15th of June, 2016. At that time the Ukrainian representatives stated that the situation in the front line in eastern Ukraine is not improving, but rather deteriorating drastically. Moreover, the number of attacks increases with each passing day.