No: 131, 30 April 2014

It is a matter of concern that the incidents that have occurred in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine during the last week are continuing at an increasing pace despite the agreement reached in the Joint Statement adopted in Geneva by Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the USA and the EU on 17 April.

In this regard, we consider the acts violence in these regions, the occupation of public buildings, the detentions and especially the taking hostage of unarmed foreign military inspectors serving under the OSCE Vienna Document, as grave developments further deepening the current crisis. We hope these inspectors will be released immediately.

We call on the parties to implement fully and without delay the measures agreed in the Geneva Joint Statement in order to de-escalate the tensions and provide security for the civilian population.

We reiterate our full support to the efforts of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission for de-escalating the tensions and fostering peace, stability and security throughout the country.