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OSCE welcomes start of disengagement of forces in Petrovskoye in Donbass

Observers of the organization will continue monitoring the situation

DONETSK, November 9. /TASS/. The Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) welcomes the start of disengagement of forces and facilities of the Donbass conflict sides in the Petrovskoye area, a representative of the Organization’s office in Donetsk told reporters on Saturday.

"The OSCE welcomes the start of disengagement in Petrovskoye," he was quoted as saying by the Donetsk News Agency. "We will continue monitoring the situation via camera and unmanned aerial vehicle," he added.

Ukraine and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) started simultaneous disengagement of forces along the line of contact in the Petrovskoye area earlier on Saturday. Once the disengagement is completed, the sides should notify the OSCE, whose observers will put that on record. Later a set of actions will be started in the region on de-mining and fortification dismantling.

Completion of disengagement in Petrovskoye finalizes the process of disengagement of forces and facilities in three pilot security zones on the contact line, namely near Petrovskoye (in the Donetsk People’s Republic, or DPR), Zolotoye and Stanitsa Luganskaya (both in the Lugansk People’s Republic, or LPR). A framework agreement on disengagement of forces in Donbass was signed by Ukraine, Russia, the OSCE and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics in September 2016.

Disengagement of forces along the line of contact in Donbass is a condition for holding the Normandy Four summit between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France where further steps to resolve the conflict in the region are planned to be discussed.