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Coronavirus pandemic

Russia expects OSCE to facilitate efforts to agree ceasefire in Donbass

Russia’s Permanent Envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich pointed out that the UN Security Council had adopted a resolution on July 1, calling for a cessation of hostilities in all conflicts amid the coronavirus pandemic

VIENNA, July 2. /TASS/. Moscow expects that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will promptly respond to the United Nations’ global humanitarian ceasefire call by facilitating efforts within the Contact Group on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine to agree a ceasefire, Russia’s Permanent Envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday.

He pointed out that the UN Security Council had adopted a resolution on July 1, calling for a cessation of hostilities in all conflicts amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We expect that the OSCE will promptly respond to this call by facilitating the Contact Group’s efforts to agree a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine in the form of a regional agreement under Article 8 of the UN Charter," Lukashevich said.

The Russian envoy also called on international partners, the OSCE and Ukraine’s foreign sponsors "to exert maximum influence on the Ukrainian authorities in order to make them take action to ensure peace and harmony, and fully implement the [Minsk] Package of Measures based on direct and sustainable dialogue with Donetsk and Luganks.".

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