MOSCOW – If the United Nations Security Council approves Russia’s initiative on deploying a UN peacekeeping mission along the line of contact in Donbas, its implementation would improve the security of the OSCE monitors in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Russia takes seriously the concerns about regularly emerging risks to the security of members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Lavrov said.
“We have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution envisaging the establishment of a UN mission to guard OSCE SMM monitors while they perform their duties. So we expect now that, if this initiative is put into practice, this would really improve the security of OSCE monitors,” Lavrov said.
“Perhaps those who don’t want to enforce the disengagement of the parties’ forces and resources to a safe distance would have fewer reasons to refer to the risks that the OSCE monitors face,” he said.
“We expect that all countries that can influence the authorities in Kyiv will try to persuade them to stop obstructing implementation of these [the Minsk] agreements. As for us, we will employ our influence on the self-proclaimed republics so as to ensure constructive involvement on their part in the same manner,” he said.
