The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is indignant at the unilateral decision of Russia to withdraw the military of Russian forces from the Joint Center of Control and Coordination as the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported.
‘We treat this unprecedented step of Russia as another provocation that substantially disrupts the Minsk Agreements and the striving to relieve of any responsibility for the consequences of the military aggression against our state. Such step proves one more time that Moscow perseveres in its attempts to force Ukraine and the international partners to begin a direct dialogue with the militants of the illegal military formations that act at the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine under the total control and resounding support of Russia’, the message said.
It is noted that Kremlin increases the risks for the security of the OSCE SMM by this decision, including the aim to force Ukraine and its international partners to adopt the unacceptable variant of the UN peacekeepers deployment in Donbas.
‘Russia as a side of the Donbas Conflict remains fully responsible for the escalation of the situation with security and provision of the security to the OSCE SMM observes at the temporarily occupied territories’, the Foreign Ministry emphasized.
The Ukrainian side of the JCCC will continue its work as usually bilaterally working with the OSCE SMM.
‘Ukraine appeals to the international partners with a request to strengthen the political and diplomatic pressure on Kremlin to avoid the steps that can disrupt the Minsk Agreements’, the ministry concluded.
As we reported Russia decided to withdraw its representatives from the Joint Center for Control and Coordination in Donbas (JCCC) on December 19.
This decision was made in connection with the new order of entry to Ukraine and the introduction of a duty to inform of the intention to visit the country in advance in electronic form for Russian citizens scheduled for January 1, 2018.
The Joint Center for Control and Coordination is a group to monitor compliance with the Minsk Protocol, which includes representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian sides, as well as the fighters of the “LNR” and “DNR” militants. The Center started its work on September 26, 2014, in Soledar, Donetsk region.
