Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished participants,

 

I am pleased to be here – to discuss the peace and stability in Ukraine with organization that is indispensable for providing peace and stability throughout Europe.

 

For years this Conference has given an excellent venue for discussing security challenges and addressing ways to enhance the role of the Organization in fostering peace, stability and security throughout the OSCE space.

 

Yet today the security landscape in the OSCE region has undergone drastic changes.

 

OSCE fundamental principles and commitments have been undermined and put into question because of Russia’s military aggression on Ukraine.

 

While we are moving towards 40^th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE faces the biggest challenge in its history.

 

Its principles and commitments are violated by one of the participating States.

 

For the first time in the history of this Organization one participating State annexed a part of the territory of another participating State.

 

In defiance of imperative norms of international law and the OSCE principles and commitments the Russian Federation has illegally occupied and annexed Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

 

These actions have been decisively rejected by the international community, including through adoption of the UN GA resolution on “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine”.

 

Violations by the Russian Federation struck at the core of the OSCE – the founding principles, guiding relations between the participating States under the 1975 Helsinki Final Act.

Moreover, Ukraine has been attacked by a state that earlier committed itself to guarantee its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. 

 

Just as under false pretexts Crimea was illegally occupied and annexed, now under false pretexts Russia’s support is provided to the illegal armed groups in Ukraine’s east.

 

What we witness now in two eastern regions of my country, notably Donetsk and Luhansk, is the second stage of aggression on Ukraine.

 

Such actions not only violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity but undermine the very foundations of peace and stability across the OSCE space.

 

They will have global ramifications, making the security environment uncertain for all.

 

Russia does not find it necessary any more to live up to universally binding rules of international law that would allow for peace and harmony with its neighbors and other members of international community.

Dear colleagues,

 

The successful conduct of the presidential elections in Ukraine represents a crucial step towards restoring peace and order across the country, ensuring its political and economic development as well as reaffirms Ukraine’s commitment to the democratic process. 

 

We welcomed the biggest ever observation of these elections by the international community.

 

Despite security challenges, the presidential elections in Ukraine were conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner in accordance with the OSCE commitments and international standards.

 

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko made very clear how he sees his key tasks in the office - strengthening the unity of Ukraine, restoring peace and providing for reliable security of the country.

 

Restoring peace and order is the ultimate expectation of all Ukrainian people – east to west, north to south.

 

The President set out a peace plan to end violence in the east of the country. Its important elements that were presented earlier this month were further elaborated, providing a sound basis for restoring peace and order as well as responding to legitimate interests of the regions.

 

 

It includes 15 steps.

1. Security guarantees to all members of consultations.
2. Release from criminal responsibility to those who surrendered their weapons and didn’t commit capital crimes.
3. Release of all hostages.
4. Setting up 10 km buffer zone along the border, free of illegal troops and heavy weaponry.
5. Guaranteed corridor for retreat of mercenaries.
6. Disarmament of illegally armed groups.
7. Establishment of joint patrolling units within the Ministry of Interior.
8. Vacation of illegally seized official buildings in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
9. Renewal of work of local authorities.
10. Renewal of central TV and radio broadcasting.
11. Decentralization of powers (through direct elections of local executive committees; protection of the Russian language; draft amendments to the Constitution).
12. Agreeing on the candidates for the posts of governors with representatives of the region.
13. Early local and parliamentary elections.
14. Program for creation of new jobs in the region.
15. Restoration of industrial and social infrastructure.

 

Before the Plan was officially declared, it was discussed with representatives of local legitimate authorities and business elite. They fully endorsed it.

 

The unilateral cessation of use of force became effective as of 22.00 June 20, 2014 and will last until 22.00 June 27, 2014.

 

To make the regime of cease-fire sustainable it is vital to establish the effective border control.

 

If we manage to achieve this goal, the illegal inflow of insurgents, tanks, armed vehicles and heavy weaponry to the territory of Ukraine will be stopped.

 

At present, the Ukrainian Army, National Guard and Border-guard units are exerting every possible effort to establish full control of the border. 

 

Once the cease-fire becomes sustainable, Ukraine will be interested in stepping up the OSCE efforts in establishing unbiased, transparent and effective monitoring on the ground. 

At the same time it is obvious that any peace plan will work effectively only if Russia takes constructive position.

 

 

 

 

Dear colleagues,

 

The recent developments in and around Ukraine, in particular growing escalation in two eastern oblasts sponsored by one participating State, testify to the ongoing pertinence of the fundamental OSCE principles and their implementation in good faith as means for guaranteeing peace and security.

 

They also indicate the need of re-adjustment of existing mechanisms and instruments for crisis prevention and crisis management.

 

It is therefore a defining moment for our Organization to demonstrate its solidarity in safeguarding those norms and principles. Under the current challenges we need effective and creative multilateral solutions to manage complex political and security challenges and to modernize our toolbox to address them.

 

In connection with the current crisis in and around Ukraine we consider that verification mechanisms stipulated by the Open Skies Treaty and the Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures have the capacity at least to prevent its further aggravation.

 

Thus, starting March 5, we have been actively using relevant provisions of the Vienna Document, which resulted in set of the evaluation visits to eastern Ukraine by multinational teams of inspectors, thus contributing to the military transparency in crisis situation. Unfortunately our expectations that the Russian side will show the same level of military transparency were futile.

 

We are grateful to all our partners and to all inspectors individually who participated in these missions. We continue to view it critically important that international observers continue to verify the situation on the ground.

 

Also, we tried to actively use the potential of risk reduction mechanism stipulated in VD’s Chapter III, requesting Russia’s explanations concerning unusual activities of its military forces and initiating several joint FSC-PC meetings in this regard, in which, regrettably, the Russian Federation decided not to participate despite legitimacy of Ukraine’s concerns.

 

In light of the above we, inter alia, believe that provisions of Chapter III of the Vienna Document should be updated in the context of present realities.

 

As well, we think that the current situation demands meaningful steps aimed at modernization, update and strengthening  of the conventional arms control regime in Europe.

 

To this end we propose to continue discussion initiated by Ukraine’s 2013 OSCE Chairmanship on the role that conventional arms control and CSBMs can play in modern and future security architecture.

 

We welcome the OSCE efforts aimed at supporting Ukraine in de-escalation and stabilization of situation on the ground, in particular through the activities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

 

We appreciate the role of the Mission in assisting implementation of the initial-de-escalation measures in accordance with the Geneva statement of 17 April 2014.

 

Ukraine has implemented in good faith the provisions of the Geneva agreement and we expect commitment to their implementation by all parties.

 

Distinguished participants,

 

The comprehensive concept of security, commitments and norms within the OSCE should continue to provide a strong framework for action for the OSCE.

 

It must be in the interests of all our countries to make sure that the OSCE principles and commitment are respected.  As the future of security and stability depends on our capacity to deal with the current crisis, the reconfirmation of core OSCE principles must come not from declarations but from practical steps.

 

I will conclude by wishing all of us enriching debates, which would allow to chart course for re-establishing security for Ukraine and for all participating States.

 

Thank you for your attention.