MOSCOW - Denis Pushilin, a representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic at negotiations of the trilateral contact group in Minsk, has called for the soonest possible resumption of the talks on settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“We insist on convening the Minsk group immediately, inviting representatives of the OSCE, Ukraine, and Russia,” Pushilin said in a statement posted on the DPR government and People’s Council website on Nov. 13.
“Representatives of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics are ready to travel to Minsk and start work within a few days,” Pushilin said, pointing out that both self-proclaimed republics earlier authorized their permanent representatives at the talks, “whose position will have a mandatory effect.”
Pushilin said he was sure that attempts to settle the conflict without the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics cannot improve the situation. “I am saying responsibly that any attempts to settle the conflict without participation of the republics would be inefficient and would inevitably drive the negotiating process into a deadlock. I also reaffirm our commitment to the Minsk format involving Russia, the OSCE, the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, and also Ukraine,” Pushilin said.
“The republic heads have signed legal acts on appointing the republic permanent representatives. All decisions to be signed by these representatives will have a mandatory effect and will have to be complied with by all of the republics’ civilian government bodies and armed forces,” he said.
