Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Ertugrul Apakan has said the sides in eastern Ukraine should cease fire immediately.
“As many people celebrate Easter, we are reminded that this is a time for renewal and hope. But if hope is to have any meaning, the sides must adhere to the Minsk agreements; they must cease fire, withdraw weapons, disengage forces and formations, and de-mine,” the OSCE SMM quoted the ambassador as saying on its Facebook page.
Ambassador Apakan said it was obvious, after three years of violence, that adherence to the ceasefire – agreed in Minsk in September 2014 – offered the only viable future for the people of Ukraine.
He urged the sides to embrace the spirit of Easter by prioritizing the protection of the civilian population.
“If the focus is on people, it is possible to resolve this conflict and restore normalization and stabilization to Ukraine,” he said.
