Peace Institute NGO to strive for full implementation of Minsk accords – diplomat

KYIV. Feb 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Kyiv-based Peace Institute NGO will strive for the full implementation of Minsk Agreements, said former Ukrainian foreign minister Leonid Kozhara, who now is a member of the organization.

"One of the activities of our organization is making the public aware of the need to implement Minsk Agreements," Kozhara said at a press conference hosted by Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

He noted that the main reason of the current situation in the Ukrainian society "was lack of understanding."

"Besides, aggressive and pro-war sentiment in the society just intensifying the conflict," Kozhara said.

He stressed that there was no and wouldn't be any alternative to Minsk format, and the agreements signed in Minsk were international commitments of Ukraine, that is why "Ukraine had to fully implement them as for the time being."

He also highlighted that Ukrainian authorities had to maintain an inclusive dialogue with all the structures of the civil society on the occupied territories.

In his turn, chairman of Peace Institute Maksym Lenko added that the Institute will protect the rights of citizens affected by the conflict and would promote nationwide reconciliation.

Besides, experts called on the authorities to amend the legislation in order to avoid classifying charities, doctors, and volunteers as "supporters of terrorists" if they provided assistance to civilians on the uncontrolled by Kyiv territories of Donbas and were forced to go through the accreditation in the so called "authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic."

"Peace Institute NGO has already started an expert communication with authorities on how to implement Minsk agreements and plans to join Minsk negotiations process in the nearest future," the press release of the Institute said.