MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) - The leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics have explained the appointment of a special representative to speak on their behalf at the Minsk negotiations of the Contact Group for Ukraine with the absence of Kyiv officials there.
"We have appointed a special representative because the Ukrainian side is represented by Leonid Kuchma, a former president, rather than by its officials. So, we believe we will also send our representative instead of the leaders of the republics," LPR Supreme Council Chairman Alexei Karyakin said at a meeting of the committee for public support to residents of the southeastern Ukraine held at the Federation Council.
According to Karyakin, the DPR and the LPR regarded the Minsk agreements as a step towards a peaceful settlement. "We do not deny the Minsk agreements, we stick to them although we are accused of doing the opposite," Karyakin said.
Acting DPR first deputy Andrei Purgin added that it was necessary to create a mechanism for controlling the implementation of the Minsk accords.
"It is not that the Minsk agreements are bad. It is bad that we have no mechanism to control their fulfillment. I think that the negotiations will take a turn to the political field but a mechanism of control over the fulfillment of these agreements needs to be created," he said.
Committee head, Federation Council Vice-Speaker Yuri Vorobyov called for the Minsk agreements to be complied with and expressed the hope that such actions would help "stabilize the regional situation as a whole."