The signing of the agreements of the advisers to the Heads of State of the Normandy Four – Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, on the procedure for enacting the law on the special procedure of local self-government in Russia-occupied districts in Donbas, eastern Ukraine and the disengagement of forces in three localities at the contact line are the conditions whose fulfillment will open the way for a meeting of Normandy Four leaders, Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vadym Prystaiko says.
“The agreement of the advisers that they recommend all leaders meet occurs at the moment when two conditions are fulfilled. The first condition is [such] readiness that is confirmed in writing – it’s not the so-called ‘Steinmeier formula’… It is stated clearly – at the time of the election the law comes into effect but it will finally come into force when the OSCE says that the elections were fair, open and transparent. Do not think up anything else, there is nothing else. This position should be agreed upon by all parties and returned to the leaders in writing. In this way it opens up [a way for a meeting of Normandy Four leaders],” he said in Kyiv on Sept. 18, answering a question from the Interfax-Ukraine what could clear the way for the Normandy summit.
“The second condition is the disengagement [of forces] in the first three sites … Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote, and Petrovske. There are no more conditions for the [four] leaders’ meeting as of today,” Prystaiko said.
