Following the
negotiations with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France
Francois Hollande, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko noted: "There is
no alternative to the Minsk process".
"We are confident
that the Minsk process, which is based on the peace plan, is an absolutely
universal instrument," he said.
The Head of State drew
attention to the provisions of the Minsk agreements - immediate ceasefire,
withdrawal of heavy weaponry and artillery, immediate liberation of hostages,
unimpeded access for the OSCE SMM to the control over the execution of the
achieved agreements, as well as a complex of issues: political, humanitarian,
social, economic, which facilitate peace and de-escalation of the conflict.
"I am pleased to
state that Ukraine strictly fulfills the undertaken commitments on the
ceasefire regime, cooperation with the OSCE, withdrawal of heavy weaponry,
implementation of humanitarian issues, including the creation of three humanitarian-logistics
centers by the end of this month that will significantly simplify the life of
Ukrainians in the occupied areas. The activity of humanitarian missions will be
guaranteed. We carry out actions that will restore the supply of water and electricity
jointly, fulfilling the commitments undertaken," Petro Poroshenko noted.
The main thing is to
begin the political process, as stated by the President. He reminded that he
submitted the draft Constitution to the Parliament, which fully meets the commitments
undertaken by Ukraine and which has been approved by the Constitutional
Commission of Ukraine and the Venice Commission.
"We clearly
declare that for today, unfortunately, Russia and Russia-backed militants pose
the only threat to the restoration of peace and stability in the region,"
he said.
The parties discussed
the necessity of ensuring security for the international observers from the
OSCE SMM. They clearly agreed that they must ensure unimpeded access to all
territories, including the uncontrolled area of the Ukrainian-Russian border in
order to stop the supply of Russian troops, weapons and ammunition to the
occupied territory.
The interlocutors
discussed the extreme danger of fake elections of October 18 and November 1
that do not comply with the Ukrainian legislation. It is a serious threat to
the entire Minsk process, as stated by Petro Poroshenko.
The parties paid
special attention to the liberation of hostages, including those imprisoned in
Russia: Sentsov, Savchenko and others. "I am confident that we should
coordinate our steps in full, strict and comprehensive compliance with the
Minsk agreements," the President noted.
"I am grateful to
Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Francois for helping Ukraine implement the Association
Agreement. It is crucially important. We re grateful that almost all EU member
states, except Cyprus and Greece, have ratified this Agreement. I am very
grateful for the support in the fulfillment of technical requirements on the
visa-free regime Agreement. I believe that our cooperation in economic context
is extremely important for the implementation of reforms and the restoration of
the Ukrainian economy affected by war," the Head of State emphasized.
The President also
thanked for the interest and support of France and Germany to the reforms
currently implemented in Ukraine.
"I believe that
the Normandy format has a special importance for our countries. We reiterate
strict compliance with the Minsk agreements. We agreed to use the nearest
opportunities, inter alia, in the framework of the international events, to
transmit these signals to Moscow," the President said.
"I hope that the
main result of our today's meeting will be the de-escalation in Donbas,
termination of bloodshed, promotion of the early discussion on the modality of
holding local elections under the Ukrainian law and the ODIHR standards,"
the Head of State concluded.
In their statements,
Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande emphasized the need for the full
implementation of the Minsk agreements. Chancellor Merkel noted that today's
meeting was aimed at strengthening the Normandy format and fulfillment of the
Minsk agreements. "We believe that the Minsk agreements must be a
foundation for the achievement of peace in Ukraine," she said.
The parties noted that
the Minsk agreements' provisions on the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weaponry
and access for the OSCE observers are not fulfilled. "We see that this
mission cannot function and drones, which we found with difficulties, cannot
operate because of constant obstructions," the Chancellor noted adding
that the given issue requires solution.
At the same time,
Angela Merkel called it a great achievement that "constitutional
amendments in Ukraine have been organized as it had been agreed in Minsk".
The Chancellor also called it important to hold democratic elections.
In his turn, Francois
Hollande emphasized that all signatories to the Minsk agreements are
responsible for the fulfillment of its provisions. "The main thing today
is to fully implement the Minsk agreements. President Poroshenko can confirm
that Ukraine has made substantial efforts to hold all the necessary reforms,
including constitutional and electoral reform," he said.
Speaking of the
ratification of the Association Agreement, the President of France admitted:
"It is really a long process. France and Germany must uphold the process
for the Agreement to finally enter into force and the European prospect of
Ukraine to be confirmed".
The President of
Ukraine thanked the Chancellor of Germany and President of France for their
greetings to the people of Ukraine on the occasion of the Independence Day.
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