MOSCOW, May 31 /ITAR-TASS/. Russia does not agree on a proposal to recall an Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday.
“We are surprised with recent statements over Ukrainian issue by quite respected in Russia German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, who is the former representative of the Swiss Chairperson-in-Office at roundtable meetings on national dialogue in Ukraine,” the ministry said, noting, “We are sincerely bewildered over Ischinger’s views made public in German press about some “international support” to Russian-Ukrainian dialogue and groundless accusations against us for “insufficient border control.”
“Appeals “to intensify an anti-terrorist operation” in the southeast of the country are just indignant,” the ministry noted, adding that “We have heard similar statements repeatedly, but mainly from Kiev and far Washington.”
“We cannot agree with [German OSCE special envoy for Ukraine] Wolfgang Ischinger’s proposal to recall observers of the OSCE special monitoring mission,” the ministry stated, noting that “On the contrary, exactly now amid Kiev’s intentionally intensified punitive operation in the east of the country this is essentially important to step up work of international observers who should fix unbiasedly and report about all facts and incidents related to security and human rights violations.”
“In this vein regional offices of the mission should establish more actively contacts with representatives of forces which are really controlling the local situation that the mission mandate directly envisages,” the Foreign Ministry added.
Moscow finds it important to continue current Swiss OSCE presidency-brokered initiative “to organise roundtable meetings with people who have real influence in regions of the country to settle domestic Ukrainian crisis, work out new constitutional foundations of Ukrainian state, divide fairly powers between central and regional authorities in the country and guarantee reliably rights of Ukrainian citizens.” “It is quite obvious that the position of representatives of all political forces and regions in the country should be taken into account,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said with confidence.
In general, Russia hopes for “careful and well-phrased statements by all people involved in international efforts to promote settlement of domestic Ukrainian crisis.” “You should not forget that lives of people are behind words,” the ministry recalled.