Tomorrow, May 16, 2018, a regular meeting of the humanitarian subgroup will take place in the Minsk format. The key issue is to clarify the position of the Ukrainian side regarding the exchange of all confirmed persons. So far, authorized representatives of Kiev have not announced their official position on this issue.
The issue of the return of documents to persons who came back to the territory of the Republic as a result of the exchange performed on December 27, 2017, remains open. For almost five months we have been waiting for a response as regards the termination of criminal proceedings against the participants of the previous exchange. I would like to emphasize that it is very important to close criminal cases against participants of the exchange on the eve of the second stage of the exchange in order to avoid a recurrence of the situation.
Another issue of equal importance will be discussed at the meeting – a mechanism of searching for missing persons. Once again, I call upon the Ukrainian side not to block the issue with ungrounded demands. The mechanism should be launched, and people on both sides of the contact line should be aware of the fate of their relatives and friends.
I hope that tomorrow all plenipotentiary representatives of the Ukrainian side will be able to attend the meeting, and there will be an effective and fruitful discussion of all issues of the agenda.
