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Provisions of Minsk deal for Ukrainian cease-fire announced

12 February 2015 11:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. The agreements reached by leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany – Petro Poroshenko, Vladimir Putin, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, was signed by the Contact Group (Ukraine, Donetsk-Luhansk, OSCE). The document was also signed by leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti and 112.ua.

The document envisages the followings:

- Amid powerful disagreements over the grinding year-long conflict in eastern Ukraine, the warring sides agreed Thursday to a cease-fire beginning at 12 a.m. local time on February 15.

- Heavy artillery withdrawal in Donbas is set to start soon and will be completed within 14 days, the Minsk document reads.

- Constitutional reform in Ukraine must be completed by the end of 2015, the document reads. Decentralization issue should be reconsidered as well.

- The Minsk deal calls for legislation on the special status of the southeastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, must pass a bill on the special status of Donbas within 30 days, the document reads adding that the operation of the banking system in the region will be restored.

- 'All-for-all' prisoner exchange between Kiev and eastern Ukrainian forces should take place within five days following troops' pull back.

- The document calls for amnesty for the people related to the events in several districts of Donetsk and Luhansk.

- Moreover, the Minsk document calls for disarming all illegal groups in Ukraine.

- All foreign armed groups, military equipment and mercenaries should leave Ukraine under the OSCE control.

In a statement to the press, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the end of 2015, the Ukrainian border guards will regain the control over the border with Russia, adding that the parties agreed on the release of all hostages within 19 days. Chiefs of the General Staff of Ukraine and Russia will hold a meeting on February 15 on the control over the observance of the cease-fire.