The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the extension of the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) mandate in Ukraine for another year, calls on Russia to provide observers with access to Russia-occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to Russia-occupied Crimea.
“Noting the important role of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine in facilitating a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas based on respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, political unity and territorial integrity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the decision of the OSCE Permanent Council to extend the SMM’s mandate,” says the MFA’s comment.
The ministry stressed that Ukraine supports further strengthening of the SMM with human resources and technical means to effectively monitor the implementation of the Minsk Agreements for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas, monitoring and reporting within its mandate on the situation of the further militarization of Crimea and restriction of freedom of navigation in the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait.
“Once again we call on the Russian Federation to ensure unhindered access and freedom of movement of the Mission’s observers in the occupied districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including the temporarily uncontrolled stretch of the Ukrainian-Russian state border, as well as the occupied Crimea,” the Foreign Ministry said.
At the request of Ukraine, on March 29, the OSCE Permanent Council extended the mandate of the SMM in Ukraine for 12 months, until March 31, 2020, which is extended throughout Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
