Dacic in Kiev: Minsk deal must be implemented in full

Dacic in Kiev: Minsk deal must be implemented in full

Dacic said that Serbia as the presiding country of the OSCE is ready invest every effort to assist in facilitating conflict resolution and making progress in Ukraine, noting that the Ukrainian crisis is a major challenge for the OSCE .

While in Kiev, Dacic also spoke with the head of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE to Ukraine Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, his special representative in Ukraine and the trilateral contact group Ambassador Martin Sajdik, and project coordinator of the OSCE Ambassador Vaidotas Verba.

The Serbian official said that he was, on behalf of the Troika of the OSCE, authorized to convey the message that the agreement from Minsk forms a single whole and that all of its provisions should be implemented.

"Only a part of the agreement cannot be implemented, the package must be implemented in full," he stressed.

"We believe that weapons must fall silent, that the truce and the ceasefire must be respected, we believe that heavy weapons should be withdrawn and that the OSCE's special observer mission should have at their disposal all means for verification," said Dacic.

It is necessary, he added, to ensure unimpeded access for observers of the OSCE and full respect of their safety, as well as an agreement on a disengagement plan in some flash-points, including Shirokino.

According to Dacic it is also necessary to accelerate the political process, that is, a political agreement on holding local elections, as well as on constitutional reform, which should go towards decentralization along with giving "a certain status to the Donbas region."

"It is very important to hold local elections on the basis of the agreement with the involvement of the OSCE, that is, the ODIHR, and of course the key is to alleviate the grave humanitarian situation and the economic situation," said Dacic and announced that he would attend the meeting of the trilateral contact group on July 21 in Minsk, Belarus.

He also said that the OSCE was ready to work on establishing a presence in those areas that require constant monitoring and wants to increase the number of observers on the ground in order to "prevent a return to combat activities."

Commenting on the information that Serbs were fighting in Eastern Ukraine on the side of Donetsk and Lugansk, Dacic stressed that Serbia prosecutes all those involved in conflicts abroad, including Ukraine, adding that "anyone who takes part in conflicts outside of Serbia is facing jail in Serbia."