German diplomat: The situation in eastern Ukraine 'excites concern'
Gernot Erler, the Special Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany for Russian policy, noted that the threats to the members of the special OSCE monitoring mission are "unacceptable." Erler reiterated his call for the fulfilment of the Minsk agreements.
Reports of observers of the special monitoring mission (SMM) of the OSCE about the increased ceasefire violations in the east of Ukraine, as well as the presence of heavy weapons there "excite concern,” Erler said. "I urge all parties to adhere to the concluded agreements and to immediately suspend all hostilities. A permanent truce is urgently needed in order to finally apply the political commitments made at the conclusion of the Minsk agreements.” Erler’s statement, posted on the official website of the German Foreign Ministry pointed out that the recent shelling of the OSCE SMM car and armed threats to its observers in separatist-controlled territories was "totally unacceptable.” Erler reiterated that all parties should ensure the safety of unarmed mission staff and the free and unrestricted access to the entire territory of the conflict.
On April 7th, the OSCE representatives declared "the highest level of violations" of the ceasefire in the Donbas. The same day the report of the OSCE SMM placed the incident close to the Snezhnoye, in the territory controlled by the separatists. Later, in the self-proclaimed LPR, another OSCE SMM car was stopped and the occupants were harassed by armed gunmen.