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Ukraine’s Poroshenko says important to regain control over border with Russia

KIEV, May 16. /TASS/. Ukraine’s President Pyotr Poroshenko has underscored at a meeting with the country’s representatives at the subgroups of the Contact Group on resolving the Ukraine conflict that to regain control along the whole border with Russia is of crucial importance, the presidential press service said on Saturday.

"Addressing Ukraine’s representative at the security subgroup, Yevgeny Marchuk, Pyotr Poroshenko underlined the importance of regaining control over uncontrolled sections on the Ukrainian-Russian border," the statement said.

At the same time, the meeting attended also by Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Alexander Turchinov confirmed adherence to implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Besides, the meeting focused on efforts coordinated with international organisations and aimed at easing supplies of humanitarian aid to Donbass in compliance with all international procedures.

Poroshenko drew attention of Vladimir Gorbulin, the representative at the political subgroup that only after a full ceasefire and withdrawal of weapons confirmed by OSCE observers, it would be possible to enter into a dialogue about modality of local elections.

Regular talks of the participants of the Trilateral Contact Group on east Ukrainian settlement comprising representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were held in the Belarusian capital Minsk on February 10-12. Talks of the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine) leaders on the Ukrainian issue also ended February 12 in Minsk.

A 13-point Package of Measures on implementation of the September 2014 Minsk agreements was adopted at the February talks.

The package in particular included an agreement on cessation of fire from February 15, withdrawal of heavy armaments, as well as measures on long-term political settlement of the situation in Ukraine, including enforcement of a special self-rule status for certain districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

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