The subgroup on humanitarian issues at the Trilateral Contact Group (TGC) on Ukraine held a meeting in Minsk to consider interim results of the process of verification of the lists of illegally detained persons, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in the TCG Martin Sajdik said.

The so-called mechanism for the verification of the lists of prisoners was successfully launched in late April thanks to the efforts made by all the parties and it is for the first time that the working group on humanitarian issues was able to consider interim results of the implementation of the mechanism. It concerned about 100 people, Sajdik told reporters following the TGC meeting in Minsk on Monday.

The verification of the lists of those prisoners refusing to be exchanged has not yet completed, Sajdik said.

There are quite a few those reluctant to be part of the exchange and these are the people who have to verified and asked if they really refuse to be exchanged, he said.

Sajdik went on to note that the group in charge of the verification went all across Ukraine and yet some questions remain open.

The subgroup started to discuss further steps towards implementation of the mechanism, he added.

Sajdik also revealed that the subgroup on economic issues discussed options of payment for water deliveries to the self-proclaimed republics in the Donbas. Meanwhile, the subgroup on political issues continued discussing the Steinmeier formula regarding the region's special status, Sajdik said.