15:13 05.06.2020

Poland understands that talks in Normandy format, TCG in Minsk have no compromise - Ambassador Cichocki

2 min read
Poland understands that talks in Normandy format, TCG in Minsk have no compromise - Ambassador Cichocki

The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are fundamental for Poland, and it realizes that negotiations in the Normandy format, negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk are a line where there is no compromise, said Polish Ambassador to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki.

"For us, the matter of principle is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We understand that these negotiations in the Normandy format, the negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk are a line where there are no compromises," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

The diplomat also stressed that Poland is very interested in new initiatives by the government of President Zelensky, the intensification of this dialogue and the increase in the political level of the delegation in Minsk.

"We understand that not everything was successful, but there is a new dynamic that has not existed for a long time: there were exchanges of prisoners, there are disengagement zones, there is a talk about the next zones of disengagement of forces. Today [on June 2], head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are paying their visit to Berlin, there is dynamics in the Normandy format, the negotiator has changed on the Russian side, and of course on the Ukrainian side, too, after the election," he added.

According to him, Poland is in constant contact with German and French colleagues.

"As a neighboring country, we do care how this conflict is resolved and what the fate of people in Donbas or Crimea is. Recently, on the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, I've had a meeting with leaders of the Crimean Tatar people. In particular, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2018-2019, Poland constantly emphasized this topic. Annexation of Crimea, illegal actions of Russia should be condemned and stopped. But also there are human rights in the occupied territory, and we must respect them. Unfortunately, Russia behaves irresponsibly with people who live in the occupied territory," the ambassador said.

In addition, Cichocki drew attention to the fact that Poland is following the attempts to organize local elections in Ukraine, including with the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, in October, and this will also be a challenge for it, and a very important point, as for a member country of the OSCE.

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