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Russia's OSCE envoy expects agreement on disengagement of forces in Donbass

Russia’s OSCE envoy has also called to implement the existing agreements on the withdrawal of armaments, mine clearance and ending firing drill in the security zone in the region
Russia’s envoy to OSCE Alexander Lukashevich Mikhail Pochuyev/ITAR-TASS
Russia’s envoy to OSCE Alexander Lukashevich
© Mikhail Pochuyev/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Moscow hopes an agreement on the disengagement of forces of the conflicting parties in eastern Ukraine will be reached soon, Russia’s envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Alexander Lukashevich has said.

Russia welcomes the deal on ceasefire in Donbass starting from September 1. "We call on the parties to the conflict to make every effort to observe the silence regime and make it indefinite and stable," he said at the OSCE Permanent Council’s meeting in Vienna on Thursday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"We expect that the agreement on the disengagement of forces of the sides and demilitarization of first areas on the contact line will be reached in the near future," Lukashevich said. "We are disappointed by the unconstructive position of the Ukrainian side at the meeting of the Contact Group in Minsk," he added.

Lukashevich has also called to implement the existing agreements on the withdrawal of armaments, mine clearance and ending firing drill in the security zone in Donbass.

The participants of the Contact Group on settlement in eastern Ukraine at the meeting in Minsk on August 26 declared an indefinite ceasefire in Donbass starting from September 1. This was the ninth attempt since autumn 2014 to observe the silence regime in the region. However, the sides continue accusing each other of ceasefire violations.