Opinions & Interviews
Marchuk: Minsk format helps build trust between parties to Donbas conflict
MINSK, 29 January (BelTA) – The Minsk platform for negotiations helps build trust between the parties to the conflict in Ukraine, Ukraine’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on resolving the situation in Donetsk Oblast and Lugansk Oblast Yevgeny Marchuk told reporters after meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 29 January, BelTA has learned.
Ukraine’s representative noted that some believe that the Minsk format came to a standstill and is no longer efficient. “There are grounds to say so,” Yevgeny Marchuk said. At the same time he emphasized that the Minsk process is the only opportunity to get to the negotiating table. Ukraine’s representative noted that apart from some military aspects, the TCG meetings focus on many specific issues related to people’s daily life in the Donbas, including water provision, infrastructure maintenance and repair, transport, pension payments.
“Many ignore humanitarian issues; however they are essential for conflict resolution. When a war is ongoing, mistrust is building on. This means that it is very difficult to agree on anything. Therefore, even minor agreements that were reached destroy this huge wall of mistrust,” Yevgeny Marchuk said.
At the same time, some major agreements have already been implemented. “It was agreed to remove the most devastating missile artillery and heavy weapons from the frontline. Indeed, they are not on the frontline anymore. God forbid, they were still there like it was in 2014; they could shoot as far as 120km into each other’s rear. They are no longer there, as it was agreed. However, some issues remain,” he noted.
Yevgeny Marchuk informed that the agenda of the meeting with the Belarusian president covered not only Belarus-Ukraine relations, but also the situation in the east of Ukraine. “We have shared our views. As a member of the Trilateral Contact Group I spoke about existing issues, some sensitive things, in particular the ceasefire all along the frontline. The most sensitive issue is the exchange of hostages, the sick ones,” he said.
Another round of talks will take place in Minsk on 30 January. According to Yevgeny Marchuk, the agenda of the contact group and its sub-groups features the issues that were relevant in the previous sessions. “Unfortunately, we have to discuss them over and over again. As for the Security Working Group, we have not managed yet to withdraw sniper groups from the frontline. However, I would like to emphasize that the so-called Christmas ceasefire agreed upon in late December had a significant impact on the intensity of fire,” Yevgeny Marchuk said.
Apart from that, participants of the forthcoming session in Minsk will try to find common ground on some humanitarian matters, first of all, repair and restoration of some critical infrastructure along the broad contact line populated by dozens of hundred people.
“Such things as water, heat, electric energy. The war gave rise to many issues of a non-military nature. Therefore, we have to deal with these things, too. The first point of the agenda of the Trilateral Contact Group and the Security Working Group for tomorrow is ceasefire and ways to deliver it. Apart from that, we will push for the withdrawal of military forces a kilometer away from the contact line,” Ukraine’s representative said.
Taking into consideration the nature of such conflicts, it is not enough to stop shooting at each other from all types of weaponry; it is also necessary to take the military away from the both sides of the contact line. We have repeatedly failed to do it along the entire line. Mistrust is huge. Therefore, we have chosen three sections. We have managed at large to withdraw the military from two of them, while our efforts on the third one have not borne fruit yet. It is a mandatory condition for resolving this kind of conflict. If we fail to do that, we will hardly be able to move on,” he said.
Yevgeny Marchuk drew attention to the role of mass media in conflict resolution. He believes that at a certain stage political, economic and military decision-makers from both sides need to stop using the language of hatred, and the press can have a role here. “It is necessary to tone down the language of hatred under the supervision of international organizations. The press should help them do it, because people are always very emotional,” he noted.
Speaking about the Minsk format he praised the comfortable negotiating environment provided by the Belarusian side. “We, the Ukrainian part of the working group, feel at home here,” he said.
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