17:22 18.01.2017

Kyiv to insist on involving Red Cross in exchange of captives in Donbas at Minsk talks

2 min read
Kyiv to insist on involving Red Cross in exchange of captives in Donbas at Minsk talks

The date and time of a video conference of the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group for settling the situation in Donbas have yet to be agreed upon, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairperson and Kyiv's representative in the humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko said.

"A Skype conference of the humanitarian subgroup didn't take place today. We've talked briefly with [OSCE] coordinator Toni Frisch through a video link, and he informed us that the conference will be held next week, and its date and time are currently being agreed upon with all participants," Gerashchenko said on Facebook on Wednesday.

It is very important to make sure that "this is a constructive dialogue and that the freeing of captives is unblocked," she said.

"The Ukrainian side is determined to find a constructive [solution] and reach a compromise. We'll insist on engaging the ICRC [the International Committee of the Red Cross] in the process of looking for the missing and freeing the hostages. After all, this organization has a hundred-year record of work in this challenging field," Gerashchenko said.

Gerashchenko had said following a humanitarian subgroup meeting in Minsk on January 16 that a Skype conference on unblocking the exchange of captives was scheduled for January 18.

Darka Olifer, the spokesperson for Ukraine's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group Leonid Kuchma, said on January 17 that the said Skype conference had been postponed until next week.

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