11:05 26.05.2016

OSCE ready to assist normalization at Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint

2 min read
OSCE ready to assist normalization at Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint

The OSCE is ready to assist normalization at the only checkpoint between the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and Ukraine in Stanytsia Luhanska, OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said.

This is the only checkpoint between the two sides, and it should be at least safe, Hug told reporters during his visit to the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint.

OSCE monitors release information about violations of the Minsk agreements on the bridge and will continue to do so, he said. In the end, the sides should agree on pulling back weapons, he said, adding that the OSCE was ready to assist with this.

The OSCE principal deputy chief monitor also said that the SMM had observed a decline in the number of truce violations during Easter holidays but that the monitors continued to see 'violations related to violence' in Stanytsia Luhanska.

The OSCE SMM forward patrol base in Stanytsia Luhanska also registered violations overnight, he said.

The conflicting sides in Donbas should not come into contact with one another; the distance between them should be sufficient to prevent or minimize the reach of weapons, and the civilian population will eventually benefit from this solution to the security problem, Hug said.

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