Today, on 19 June, another round of negotiations of the Humanitarian Subgroup of the Contact Group on the conflict settlement in Donbas took place in Minsk. As part of the agenda, issues of organizing prisoner exchange and search for missing persons were discussed.
During the first half of the meeting, the Ukrainian side presented its official position on the exchange of detainees. We discussed the possibility of its prompt implementation, as well as a number of related issues, including the development of a mechanism to transfer foreign citizens and closure of criminal cases of detainees. Also, the Donetsk People’s Republic raised the issues of confirming whereabouts of requested persons in the territory of Ukraine and exchanging of information on their procedural status. As a result of the discussion, an agreement was reached on the mutual exchange of information, as well as on coordinating the lists of detainees.
During the second half of the working meeting, as regards the issue of a joint search for missing persons, the negotiators discussed a mechanism of identification of unknown dead bodies, initial steps to organize the transfer of remains and mutual exchange of information.
The meeting was held in a constructive spirit, which gives us hope for further progress in finding effective solutions on the issues of the agenda, which are especially important for improving the humanitarian situation on both sides of the line of contact.
