DONETSK, October 11. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in agreement with the Lugansk People’s Republic from Saturday announces the so-called “silence mode,” Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko said on Saturday.
“After that, under control of OSCE, heavy weaponry will be relocated. We are waiting for OSCE to confirm they are ready,” the prime minister said.
On Friday, First Deputy Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Ravil Khalikov told TASS that the parties had already reached a demarcation line agreement.
“I can add that the Ukrainian side eventually agreed to the demarcation line drawn on our maps. According to their variant, we were to yield a number of inhabited localities to them. But in the long run, our variant was adopted,” Khalikov said.
He said the agreement was reached two days ago but only announced now.
The parties to the Ukrainian conflict agreed on cessation of fire and exchange of prisoners during OSCE -mediated talks on September 5 in Belarusian capital Minsk. The ceasefire took effect the same day but reports said it has occasionally been violated.
Ukraine’s parliament on September 16 granted a special self-rule status to certain districts in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions for three years. The Verkhovna Rada also passed a law on amnesty for participants of combat activities in Ukraine’s troubled eastern regions.
On September 20 in Minsk, the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE adopted a memorandum outlining the parameters for the implementation of commitments on the ceasefire in Ukraine laid down in the Minsk Protocol of September 5. The document contains nine points, including in particular a ban on the use of all armaments and withdrawal of weapons with the calibers of over 100 millimeters to a distance of 15 kilometers from the contact line from each side. The OSCE was tasked with controlling the implementation of memorandum provisions.
The document contains nine points, including in particular a ban on the use of all armaments and withdrawal of weapons with the calibres of over 100 millimetres to a distance of 15 kilometres from the contact line from each side. The OSCE was tasked with controlling the implementation of memorandum provisions.
Also Zakharchenko filed to the local election commission the signatures in support of his candidature at upcoming election of the republic's head, TASS reported on Saturday.
In order to participate in the election of the republic’s head, a candidate is to collect signatures from 1,000 supporters.