LUHANSK. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Now that Trilateral Contact Group parties have subscribed to the Steinmeier Formula, Kyiv must take steps towards the Donbas conflict settlement as were set forth in the Minsk accords, the foreign minister of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic Vladislav Deinego said.
"Now that the Steinmeier Formula is signed, it is necessary to take those steps earlier set forth in the Minsk Agreements. Primarily, this is amending the Ukrainian Constitution, creating and passing a special law to determine a procedure for holding of elections in the Luhansk and the Donetsk people's Republics. This also concerns implementing of clauses banning prosecution or punishment of anyone in connection with Donbas events. In other words, it is a whole range of legislative acts that must be adopted," Deinego told reporters on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian side "must present these drafts in Minsk, get them approved by the republics' representatives and then adopt in the version agreed upon at the Contact Group, without changing anything in the text," he said.
Since the Donbas conflict broke out, Ukraine has passed several bills "that run counter to its obligations under the Minsk accords," Deinego went on. "Those must be either abrogated or amended to the extent that they are inconsistent with the obligations assumed as part of the Minsk process."
"This is a great amount of work to do, and the work should begin right now. No real action or proposal has followed on the part of Ukraine so far," he added.