OSCE Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine

Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine

Rome/KYIV [ENA] The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, made up of a group of representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, was established as a working method to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the war in the Donbass region of Ukraine. There are several subgroups. The process of separation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and armed groups along the line

of contact in some districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is constantly monitored by the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. The group was created after the May 2014 election of Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. In the aftermath of the Euromaidan movement and the 2014 Ukrainian revolution turbulence had gripped the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine. After an informal meeting of heads of state at the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of D Day in Normandy on 6 June 2014, it was devised that a group should be created to facilitate dialogue between the Ukrainian government and the Russian government.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine were tremendously strained following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and Russia had also been accused by Ukraine and western leaders of having provoked the unrest in eastern and southern Ukraine. The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau, made the following statement to the press on 16th September 2020, after the regular meetings of the TCG ‎and its Working Groups held through video conferencing:

“The ceasefire continues overall to be effective. The civilian population feels safer. Participants of the TCG meeting agreed that, almost two months after the "Measures to strengthen the ceasefire" took effect, a thorough stocktaking of various aspects of their operation should be carried out. I regret to say that the ongoing discussion on the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine № 795-IX "On the appointment of regular local elections in 2020" did not allow the TCG to come to solutions on other issues. Today, assessment of the general security situation in the conflict zone and compliance with the ceasefire were in the focus of discussions of the Security Working Group.

The Humanitarian Working Group, with the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, discussed ICRC access to conflict-related detainees, as well as issues of mutual release and exchange of the latter. The meeting participants also provided information on the progress of preparations for the simultaneous opening of additional entry-exit crossing points in Zolote and Shchastya in the Luhansk region. The Economic Working Group considered issues related to the return of freight cars that are located in the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine to Ukrainian Railways.

In addition, water supply matters in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as environmental issues associated with the situation in flooded coalmines along the line of contact on its both sides, were duly considered. The discussion of the Political Working Group was mainly devoted to the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, № 795-IX, what again did not allow to address the issues on the agenda, aimed at the implementation of the Minsk Agreements”.