Merkel and macron demanded the return of Russian observers in the Donbass
In a joint statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel macron demanded the return of the Russian military observers in the Donbass, calling them the mission is important to control the situation in the conflict zone.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel macron demanded the return of the Russian officers in the composition of the Joint centre for control and coordination of ceasefire (SCCC) in the Donbass. This is stated in a joint statement published on the website of the German government.
The document States that the SCCC plays an important role in supporting OSCE observers and monitoring the cease-fire.
“They [Merkel and macron] demand the return of the Russian officers in the Joint center for control and coordination of ceasefire (SCCC)”, — reads the statement.
“German Chancellor Merkel and French President Makron call on both parties to the conflict to fulfil their responsibilities and as soon as possible to implement the agreements that they signed to alleviate the suffering of the population which bears the brunt of suffering in the current situation”, — said the leaders of the two countries.
They also demanded to implement the agreement on the exchange of prisoners and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line. Merkel and macron welcomed the agreement on a cease-fire for the holidays.
Earlier Merkel held telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Putin the Chancellor asked about the reasons for the withdrawal of the Russian officers SCCC in the Donbass. The two leaders, as reported by the press service of the Kremlin, and agreed to further discuss issues for the resumption of full operation of the SCCC.
During the talks with Poroshenko, the parties came to the conclusion that the Russian officers should return to Ukraine for further work, reported the website of the German government.