Members of the OSCE Council insist that Ukraine carries out a proper investigation into the recent tragic incident that led to the death of OSCE SMM observer in Luhansk region. The Council members agreed on such resolution during their session on April 27. The Council called for the fast, thorough and unbiased investigation of this incident and insisted that all guilty persons should be held liable.
The participating states confirmed that the SMM mandate demands free access all over Ukraine. They also blamed threats to SMM observers and damage done to the mission’s equipment. Head of the SMM in Ukraine Ertugrul Alakyan blamed the attack, noting that such problem as presence of weapons, landmines and other sorts of explosives should be solved immediately.
Secretary General of the OSCE Lamberto Zannier claimed that it was a cruel reminder of difficulties that OSCE faces. ‘SMM should have an opportunity to perform its mandate and support the cessation of fire and drawback of the armament that is going to save the world and improve the lives of those who undergo violence,’ Zannier said.
On April 23, the OSCE SMM’s vehicle went on a land mine in the occupied area of Luhansk, which caused the death of an OSCE observer; two of his colleagues are in the hospital now. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry claimed that the distractive position of Russia did not let Ukraine provide the safe work of the mission in the occupied territories of Donbas.
