MOSCOW, November 1 (RIA Novosti) — Council of Europe's (CE) Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has called on all parties to the Minsk Protocol to adhere to the provisions of the document and fully implement it, a statement published on the organization's website Saturday said.
"Referring to the OSCE as the only international organization directly involved in the Minsk agreement, he [Jagland] also recalls the statement yesterday of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, saying that the so-called elections are not in line with the Minsk Protocol. Secretary General Jagland urges all parties to fully respect and implement the Minsk Protocol," the statement read.
In April, Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation in the country's southeast, where independence supporters refused to accept the new government that was put in power following a coup in February.
On September 5, the conflicting sides agreed on a ceasefire during a meeting of the trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk. A memorandum specifying the implementation of the ceasefire was adopted at another Contact Group meeting, this time on September 19.
