OSCE parliamentary assembly president Ilkka Kanerva is cautiously optimistic about the ceasefire agreement between Russia and the Ukraine. The Finnish politician says there are still many unanswered questions.
Pro-Russian separatists and representatives from Kiev and Moscow agreed on Friday night to further measures to ensure a cease-fire between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists. Agreed-upon measures include moving artillery 15 kilometres away from the front line on both sides in order to create a 30-kilometre buffer zone.
Observers from the European rights and security OSCE watchdog will oversee the buffer zone. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed to a cease-fire with the rebels shortly after Ukrainian forces lost a southern section of the Donetsk region to pro-Russian separatists near the Russian border.
Though the Minsk meeting on Friday night has brought a sense of optimism, it still remains to be seen whether the ceasefire will hold, said Kanerva in an interview with Yle.
“This gives us the possibility to move in the direction of negotiations and a potential agreement. Hope is in the air, but it’s important to remain realistic, and monitor the situation to ensure the ceasefire holds and its conditions are carried out," he said.
The OSCE, the parliamentary dimension of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, has 250 observers in Ukraine. That number needs to be increased to 500, in Kanerva’s opinion.
He estimates that it will take at least a week to assess the situation and whether or not the conditions of the ceasefire have been met.
“The other possibility is to go in a harder direction and send in a peacekeeping mission or start a crisis management operation -- both of these options would be tough decisions for everybody,” said Kanerva.
Finland has the capacity to send further observers to Ukraine.
”My understanding is that Finland can send further observers. We are already playing a strong role in the current operation for understandable reasons. Naturally, this is a very important issue for Finland, and we will take care of our part,” he said.
There are still many unresolved questions regarding the Minsk agreement and the future of Donetsk and Luhansk, two areas that have featured strongly in fighting during the conflict.
“Owing to these unresolved details we can’t yet, unfortunately, say what the end result in this conflict will be,” said Kanerva.