Pro-Russian Separatists Acknowledge Debt Owed To Kiev

Following the results of the negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk, the self-proclaimed LPR (the Lugansk People`s Republic) and DPR (the Donetsk People`s Republic) have acknowledged debts to the Ukrainian budget and their repayment.  Agreements on the exchange of prisoners have not yet reached.

The acknowledgements were reported by Daria Olifer, the Press-Secretary of former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.  This became known after the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on settling the conflict in Ukraine, held in Minsk on Wednesday, January 27th.  "In fact, for the first time in Ukraine, the uncontrolled part of the Donbas has recognized the problem of debts to the Ukrainian budget and their repayment," Olifer wrote on her Facebook page.

As Olifer explained, in particular, "the mechanism of water calculation before Ukraine, consumed in certain districts of the Luhansk region, agreed with the assurances from the Russian side of these payments.” She also reported that the subgroup on social and economic issues continues its work on the restoration of the infrastructure of the Donbas region.

Martin Sajdik, the special representative of the OSCE, said during the negotiations that they failed to reach an agreement on  the exchange of prisoners.  As Olifer noted, this question is "still" blocked by the separatists.

Sajdik also reported that the representatives of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR gave him proposals to amend the Constitution of Ukraine.  "They gave suggestions to change some parts of the Constitution.  This was done at 14:30, thirty minutes before the end of the political sub-group.  It was transferred at exactly 19:00,” said Sajdik, as quoted by Interfax.

According to Sajdik, the political sub-group focused on discussing the elections in the Donbas region.  "They discussed the possibility of holding the local elections in the DPR and LPR.  Particular attention was paid to the role of the political parties, media, election administration and security issues," he said.

  Ukraine, Separatists, Donbas, Trilateral Contact Group

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