The two-day format of the meetings of the Humanitarian Subgroup in Minsk may lead to a detailed discussion of the agenda, for the first time in a long while, said DPR Ombudsman, delegate of the Republic to Humanitarian Subgroup Daria Morozova in an interview to DAN correspondent.
“We pin high hopes on this meeting because there has been no meaningful dialogue with the Ukrainian side for a long time, either due to their absence or to thwarted negotiations. That is why, I hope, the two-day round of consultations shall finally allow discussing the agenda in full,” Morozova noted.
The Ombudsman added that the main goal of the two-day meeting is a search for a compromise on a new stage of prisoner exchange (the latest one took place in Donbass on December 27, 2017). According to her, Kiev’s authorized representatives in the Subgroup Irina Geraschenko and Viktor Medvedchuk should be present to ensure the meaningful dialogue.
“It is very important as the Ukrainian side has announced multiple times that Medvedchuk is responsible for the issue of the prisoner exchange. However, in practice, I can say, the issue is discussed formally in his absence,” Morozova underlined.
Also, the issues of a joint search for missing persons and signing the Declaration against torture shall also be discussed.
The next meeting of the Contact Group on peaceful settlement in Donbass is scheduled for August 22. According to DPR head of delegation Denis Pushilin, the subgroups for security, political issues and humanitarian issues would have two-day meetings.
