MINSK - Members of the Contact Group on Ukraine, who met in Minsk on Wednesday, have agreed on a new attempt to ceasefire in Donbas in honor of the Old New Year, said Martin Sajdik, who represents the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) at the talks.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Sajdik said that Russian representative Boris Gryzlov had suggested making yet another attempt at ceasefire on the occasion of the old-style calendar New Year. The proposal was supported by all attendees of the meeting, he said.
The ceasefire is effective as of today, he said.
The negotiators have agreed to meet again in Minsk next week to assess the status of the ceasefire, Sajdik said.
At its meeting in Minsk on Jan. 13, the security subgroup discussed, among other issues, the ongoing demining effort in Donbas, he said.
The subgroup discussed demining efforts in 12 priority areas, with one of them, at a hydropower plant in Starobesheve, now complete, the OSCE representative said. All negotiators have agreed that total ceasefire is a key point in demining matters. The Joint Center for Control and Coordination must play the key role in this, Sajdik said.
