KYIV. July 8 (Interfax) - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) coordinator of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) for settling the conflict in Donbas has supported an appeal by the Ukrainian delegation at the TCG's meeting on Wednesday to immediately introduce security guarantees for flights by Ukrainian State Emergency Situations Service civilian aircraft to fight the forest fires near the line of contact in the Luhansk region, Oleksiy Reznikov, first deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG, said on Wednesday.
"This humanitarian appeal has been fully supported by the TCG coordinator, an OSCE representative, and was later agreed upon among the meeting participants. A written confirmation of the guarantees is pending," Reznikov told Interfax on Wednesday.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, called on the TCG members before the meeting on Wednesday to ensure a full and comprehensive ceasefire due to the wildfires in the Luhansk region, considering that the blaze could reach populated areas because of stronger winds and heat.
Yermak said a major forest fire had broken out near the line of contact in the Luhansk region on Tuesday, which caused some destruction to the local community and killed several people. Fire has also been recorded in forested areas near the villages of Smolyanynove, Kapitanove, and Voronove.