Minsk agreements from Poroshenko. Original interpretation
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko told students of Kyiv National University today about how he understands the Minsk agreements. The interpretation was unexpected. It turns out that Russia assumed the main obligations at the suggestion of Poroshenko himself.
“There are obligations that Russia assumed in the Minsk agreements. The first commitment is to withdraw all foreign occupying forces from the occupied territory. Second: Donbass is the territory of Ukraine. Third: withdraw weapons, equipment, tanks, artillery systems, multiple launch rocket systems to storage areas and withdraw them from the contact line. Fourth: disarm illegal military formations. Create a security component to begin the political process. This is what I proposed before the signing of the Minsk agreements in February 2015,” said the President of Ukraine.
He did not mention points 4-8 of the agreements, which deal with Ukraine’s obligations to ensure a normal social situation and elections in Donbass, prisoner exchange, and amnesty. According to the Minsk agreements, only after this is disarmament and transfer of control over the border possible. But Poroshenko spoke about UN peacekeepers, who are not mentioned in the Minsk agreements.
“Back then I was still constantly insisting on a peacekeeping mission with a mandate from the UN Security Council. Then all member countries of the Security Council abandoned this. Today we insist on the need for a peacekeeping mission throughout the entire territory, and not on the contact line. A full-scale mandate – disarmament of illegal groups, inclusive, and control of the uncontrolled section of the Ukrainian-Russian border,” Poroshenko said.
In his opinion, only UN peacekeepers will create conditions for holding local elections in the territory of ORDLO according to Ukrainian legislation with Ukrainian election commissions with the participation of Ukrainian parties.
For me, this is fundamental: peacekeepers come in, provide a security component, and make elections. Ukrainian media should be broadcast. The free expression of citizens will be ensured by the OSCE,” Poroshenko said.
He also said that he intends to discuss with the new authorities in Donbass, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“And with those who are chosen by the Ukrainians living in Donbass (the Russians should definitely come out), we will talk within the limits of their competence. What songs to sing, what language to speak, what the local budget should be, how to develop the economy. Issues of foreign policy and defense are exclusively within the competence of the central government,” Poroshenko said.
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