Donetsk, Feb 18 - DAN. The “12 Steps” plan to settle the Donbass conflict, presented by a group of authorы from several countries before the Munich Security Conference, does not contribute to the peace process in any way, Donetsk People’s Republic representative to the Contact Group talks, DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova told the Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.
On February 14, before the opening of the Munich Conference, Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group came up with a statement on “Twelve Steps towards Greater Security in Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic Region.” It calls for Donbass ceasefire talks at the “Normandy Four” level, measures to improve the humanitarian situation in the region, a possible involvement of the European Union, Russia and western companies in rebuilding its infrastructure and easing sanctions against Russia.
“We believe that this initiative not only lacks prominent constructive features, but, to a certain extent, harms the peace process which has been going for more than six years within the framework of the Minsk diplomatic platform,” Nikonorova said. “We don’t understand the logic of the “Munich experts” who believe for some reasons which are not obvious to us that Kiev will honour the new peace accords as it has blatantly sabotaged the existing Minsk agreements.”
The “Twelve Steps” provisions have no practical value; they are vague and were brought forward without regard for the opinion of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics “and are, to a certain extent, an attempt to avoid the Minsk agreements in favour of some new peace plans,” she said. *jk