Paris, Berlin exploring idea of establishing joint UN, OSCE mission in Donbas

France and Germany are currently studying a proposal to deploy a joint UN and OSCE mission in Donbas, French Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"We are currently studying this proposal on a joint basis with Germany and in conjunction with the Russian and Ukrainian parties within the Normandy format," a representative of the French Foreign Ministry said, responding to a question about how Paris evaluates plans for such a mission.

He also called on all parties to implement the Minsk agreements and peacefully resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

"A peaceful resolution to the Donbas conflict will depend above all on the parties' political will to fulfill their commitments. The full implementation of the Minsk Agreement remains the only framework for resolving the crisis," he said.

In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, Martin Sajdik, the special representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office in Ukraine, mentioned a new plan for the peaceful resolution of the Donbas conflict. The plan involves establishing a joint UN-OSCE mission.

According to the diplomat, this plan was presented at the last meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers Council in Milan in December, attended by representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France. According to the plan, the UN and the OSCE should not act in parallel, but together under the general leadership led by the so-called special representative: this applies to both the military and police components of the UN and the OSCE observation mission, which is already operating in the field.

They said in Moscow that they were familiar with Sajdik's plan, however, they believe that such initiatives should be supported by the parties to the conflict.