Disengagement of forces in Zolote and Petrivske to resume on October 7 – OSCE

The disengagement of forces and hardware in Zolote and Petrivske in Donbas will resume on October 7.
The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, said this in a statement following the TCG’s meeting in Minsk on October 1.

"Based on the results of today's discussions on security issues, the TCG determined the date of 7 October 2019 for renewal of the disengagement of forces and hardware in the Zolote and Petrivske areas," the statement reads.

Sajdik noted that the TCG members and representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions had agreed on the so-called "Steinmeier formula". “Upon the recommendation of the Normandy Four Political Advisers as of September 11, 2019, the TCG members and representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions confirmed today, in letters addressed to me, the text of the ‘Steinmeier formula’ for implementation in Ukrainian legislation. The text was agreed by the Political Advisers in the Normandy format,” he said.

“These two important steps were taken as tasked by the Normandy Four, and I hope that, with them, the TCG has contributed to furthering work in the Normandy format,” the ambassador stressed.

In addition, Sajdik noted the progress in the implementation of the TCG decision on the repair of the bridge at Stanytsia Luhanska, where “a temporary bypass bridge is currently under construction.”

During the meeting, the Humanitarian Working Group focused on the questions related to the exchange of detainees. In addition, a constructive discussion on the search for missing persons took place.

The Economic Working Group, among other questions, paid particular attention to current water supply issues in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as well as pension payments.

The next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group will be held in Minsk on October 15.