UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says constitutional reform and elections in Ukraine are just as important as the ceasefire and other military aspects of the Minsk peace agreements.
"While the current focus understandably remains on implementing the military aspects of 'Minsk II,' we should not lose sight of the non-military elements of the agreement, such as the badly needed restoration of socio-economic ties, local elections and constitutional reform," Dacic told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
The Serbian foreign minister also stressed that his country will "continue to do its utmost" to help build on the measures agreed in Minsk, which, according to Dacic, are "the best available roadmap to bring about calm" to eastern Ukraine.
The Minsk II peace deal outlining specific measures aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine was signed by members of the Contact Group, which includes representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Normandy Quartet leaders signed a joint declaration in support of the measures, which include a ceasefire between Kiev forces and independence fighters, the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the line of contact between the two sides and an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
The Minsk agreements also stipulate the implementation of constitutional reforms in Ukraine by the end of 2015, including with the aim of de-centralizing power in the country and giving a special status to some parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where Kiev launched a military operation last spring, in response to local residents' refusal to recognize the new coup-installed government.
