16:26 06.07.2021

Official consultations of TCG political working group again do not take place on July 6 – Harmash

2 min read
Official consultations of TCG political working group again do not take place on July 6 – Harmash

Consultations at the political working group of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas, scheduled for July 6, again did not take place due to the presence of the so-called representative of the temporarily occupied districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, Maya Pirogova, invited by Russia.

"At official meetings, the Ukrainian side can be represented only in its entirety, with the ORDLO representatives from Ukraine [...] In Donetsk, they decided to disrupt the dialogue that had begun and 'dragged' Maya Pirogova into a studio, who is convicted by the Ukrainian court for terrorist activities. We, like warned, in this case were forced to leave a virtual 'negotiation room.' Subsequently, all others left as well," Representative of Donetsk in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas Serhiy Harmash said on his Facebook page.

He also said that "for the first time, the newly appointed OSCE moderator, Sylvie Bermann, was present at the failed meeting of the political working group."

"In personal communication, she is a very pleasant woman. But at the general informal session, the new moderator announced the preservation of old 'practices' [...] Namely: 'not to be interested in the status of the working group members' [...] The package of measures directly states that the working groups 'reflect the TCG composition,' and today 'people from Donetsk and Luhansk' do not officially represent any of the TCG members," he said.

"In essence, this means that in the process there will never be a second party to the conflict: Russia will state that it is a mediator, and its persons from Luhansk and Donetsk will continue to self-proclaim themselves 'parties to the conflict,' without having any subjectivity," he said.

According to Harmash, "in such a situation, a constructive dialogue is impossible."

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