The meeting of the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine discussed three issues: the work of checkpoints, displaced persons and hostages," Iryna Heraschenko, a Ukrainian parliamentarian from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction, who represents Ukraine in the humanitarian subgroup, said.
“Some checkpoints are not working due to attacks and mines […]. For this reason, the key thing is demining and ceasefire. As for those checkpoints that are working, we thank the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] and the administration of the anti-terrorist operation […] who have reacted to our requests and are modernizing the work of the checkpoints, increasing the number of personnel to speed up passage, and are installing medical tents and at least some conveniences for people,” Heraschenko said on Facebook.
Heraschenko said lines still remain at checkpoints, but all services are working on improving the situation.
“As for prisoners. There is currently no news. They are held as hostages and no access to them is allowed, including for ICRC officials. But we are working,” Heraschenko said.
Heraschenko also said she intends to come up with an initiative that authorizes representatives of displaced persons’ organizations to take part in the discussion of the issue of displaced persons. “Those people lost their homes, property, their small motherland and they want to go back there. They are representatives of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” she said.
Heraschenko said an agreement has now been reached on the transfer to Ukraine of convicts who are serving their punishment on the territory controlled by militia, but who would like to be transferred to penitentiary establishments on the territory controlled by Ukraine. “Work is being done, the lists are now being updated and we want to involve the ICRC in the transfer procedure,” she said.
Heraschenko said the meeting has also addressed the issue of denial of access to Nadia Savchenko, Ukrainian delegate in PACE, of representatives of some European embassies and the issue of the inadmissibility of closing the trials of captured Ukrainians to the press.
Speaking about the supply of humanitarian aid, Heraschenko said the key issue is the supply of this humanitarian aid to the so-called buffer zone, “where people come under fire daily and where food and medications cannot be delivered frequently.” She said humanitarian organizations should join the work on this issue. “We have suggested that this issue – the situation in the populated areas of the buffer zone – should be a priority in the following meetings,” she said.
Heraschenko said humanitarian assistance from Ukraine to residents of the territories controlled by militia has been blocked because representatives of the LPR and the DPR are saying they have no need for it and that the Russian humanitarian convoys are enough, adding that assistance from Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation is being delivered to the territory controlled by them.
“We have again addressed the issue of so-called humanitarian convoys from Russia, which have invaded the Ukrainian territory 34 times already […] OSCE officials registered the flags and literature of the so-called Novorossia on the most recent one […] They registered that breach of the Minsk agreements, which does not say anything about any LPR and DPR,” Heraschenko said.
