LUGANSK, August 3. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) considers it principally important to observe the Minsk Agreements and repeatedly made unilateral concessions for the sake of reaching an agreement with Kiev, chairman of LPR’s people’s council Vladimir Degtyarenko said on Wednesday.
"What concerns LPR, someone might like Minsk-2, others might not like it, but we principally implement all points because this is the only path toward peace for us," Lugansk Inform Center quoted Degtyarenko as saying. "On our behalf, we are really doing everything possible and helping Ukraine, encouraging it, submitting various documents for consideration, in order for the Minsk Agreements to start being implemented," he added.
In the process of settling the conflict, LPR repeatedly made concessions to Kiev, he continued.
"We postponed elections, extended deadlines for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements several times. We repeatedly handed over prisoners to the Ukrainian side unilaterally despite the fact that the Minsk Agreements envisage mutual prisoner exchange on the ‘all for all’ basis," Degtyarenko stressed.
LPR head Igor Plotnitsky "addressed the residents of the republic with a call for uniting and signing the petition demanding implementation of the Package of measures by Ukraine," he noted.
Kiev continues using prohibited means and methods of warfare
The final document of parliamentary hearings in the People’s Council of the LPR says Kiev continues using prohibited means and methods of warfare instead of complying with the Minsk agreements.
"Ukraine’s destructive stance has been observed in the course of the entire negotiation process, which is primarily evident in ceasefire violations," the document reads. "Contrary to all ratified Geneva and the Hague Conventions, Ukraine continues to use prohibited means and methods of warfare, which leads to civilian casualties, destruction of civilian assets and city infrastructure."
The communique noted that Ukraine continues its economic blockade, which has led to severance of socio-economic ties, trade and transport relations, unemployment and a sharp drop in living standards. Besdies, Kiev is stepping up information and ideological pressure on the population of the Donbass region. Meanwhile, the political process of peaceful settlement is observed on paper only distorting the true meaning of the Minsk accords. "None of the provisions was agreed with representatives of separate districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions," the document said.
LPR lawmakers noted that "the current political regime in Ukraine crudely and massively violates human rights and freedoms what with extra-judicial executions and non-state prisons. People are denied the right to a fair and impartial trial, presumption of innocence, illegally detained persons are tortured." "All this is confirmed by statements of representatives of the Ukrainian authorities as well as the fact that international observers are not allowed to visit prisons and deployment sites of Ukrainian National Guard battalions. The ‘all for all’ prisoner exchange mechanism is actually not working," the communique said.
"Considering the situation, on June 1, 2016, LPR head Igor Plotnitsky asked the republic’s residents to collect signatures for a petition in support of UN Security Council Resolution 2202 of February 17, 2015, that endorsed the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements. From June 15 to July 15, 2016, 153,855 signatures were collected," said the final document adopted at the LPR parliamentary hearing on "Ukraine’s non-compliance with obligations under the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements endorsed by Resolution 2202 of the UN Security Council."