Donetsk, Mar 11 – DAN. The members of the Contact Group have reached an agreement to establish a new special mechanism to discuss issues within the political group, the DPR Foreign Ministry said.
"The Contact Group participants have drawn and harmonized protocol decisions in almost all the aspects for the first time ever. Another step forward was an agreement on the necessity of a specific mechanism to discuss issues within the political group, The idea is to create a platform for a direct talks between the conflicting sides over the issues to be settled in accordance with the Minsk Agreements."
The DPR Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision as a positive impulse for direct interaction between the sides of the conflict that shall stimulate the work of the political subgroup and contribute to the settlement of other aspects.
Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration, and Andrey Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, took part in the Contact Group meeting in Minsk today.
The peaceful settlement of the Donbas crises is based on the Minsk Agreements dated 5 September 2014 and, followed by the 19 September 2014 Memorandum on the ceasefire implementation. On 12 February 2015 the negotiators signed the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements; it sets forth immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in effect from 15 February 2015; withdrawal of heavy weapons, establishment of a security zone; discussion of modalities of resuming social payments in Donbass; a constitutional reform in Ukraine aimed at a profound decentralization of the state’s system of government. *ot