BAKU, July 01. /ITAR-TASS/. President of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ranko Krivokapic has expressed concern over the fact that the ceasefire regime in Ukraine, initiated by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, was not prolonged. He made this statement on Tuesday at a special debate on the situation in the country that was held within the framework of the 23rd annual session of the OSCE PA in Baku.

“This crisis has tested the most important international principles. The situation in Ukraine remains uncertain. Military actions have claimed hundreds of lives. The use of heavy arms has become a heavy burden on the people and cities. The number of killed and displaced persons has increased, there are thousands of them. Each day of the unresolved conflict undermines the very principles of our organisation. That’s why we should act promptly,” Krivokapic said.

The OSCE PA president said that a meeting with the participation of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations had been held on Monday under the aegis of the Assembly. “We discussed various aspects of the crisis and, most importantly, the meeting yielded specific result. This result is the continuation of the work of the so-called Vienna Group on specific issues related to the lives of citizens. It also concerns the creation of an international contact group that will comprise the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, as well as parliamentarians of other OSCE member countries,” Krivokapic stressed. He said this group had been codenamed the “Baku group.