MINSK AGREEMENT
The Minsk agreements signed in 2015 when it comes to a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Violence escalated in the Ukrainian region of Donbas since Kiev launched a military operation in the country’s southeast in April 2014 after local residents refused to recognize the new pro-West Ukrainian authorities.
The Minsk peace agreement reached in September 2014 and its renewal Minsk II agreement reached in February 2015, envisage a ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the contact line, a prisoner exchange and local elections in Donbas, among other measures.
The 13-point Minsk II agreement, brokered by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, outlined the steps needed to end the conflict and yet has been consistently violated.
They also agreed that monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could be armed and that their activities in monitoring the so-called Minsk peace process would not be impeded. Separatist violence erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and has killed 9,600 people so far. It continues despite a ceasefire made in the Belarusian capital Minsk .
Minsk agreements were signed by the governments of Ukraine, Russia, representatives of OSCE and Donbass region on September 5 & 20, 2014.These agreements outlined steps to de-escalate the mounting tensions including cessation of military hostilities, exchange of prisoners, protection of Russian language & gradual devolution of power.
This key development came against the backdrop of a strong military offensive by the Ukrainian troops against the pro-Russian supporters, while the threat of a Russian military intervention loomed large.
Russia’s stake in the ongoing crisis has been to retain its sphere of influence in the region. The nationalist sentiments even in the pro-Russian eastern Ukrainian cities run high.
Russian intrusion could have fast-tracked Ukraine’s NATO membership and possibly led Moscow to international political isolation. This move enabled Russia to leverage its influence for policy decisions in Kiev.
As the decision to suspend Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the EU prove, Moscow retained the decisive strings in this standoff. The ceasefire allows EU to continue to provide Ukraine with modest support without taking full responsibility for events there.
Driven by strong economic & energy interdependence with Russia, EU’s backing for the Minsk dialogue reveals an intention to repair ties with Moscow. Surprisingly ,neither the US nor the EU is a party to the two agreements.
The ceasefire allows all parties to recalibrate their positions while keeping the door open for a political reconciliation. The agreements have the potential to diffuse the volatile atmosphere.
Will the current outline of autonomy be acceptable to the pro-Russian separatists in general & the Kremlin in particular ? The degree of cooperation with the ‘West’ that Kiev is willing to gamble upon without antagonising Moscow , is another issue of confusion.
Russian interest is to restore Ukraine’s status as a neutral country, establish federal principles of governance, preserve economic ties with the eastern part of the country and maintain the status of Russian language. The agreements delineate the positions of Ukrainian forces & Pro-Russian supporters on the ground.
This is likely to lead to serious complications over the management of a frozen conflict. NATO’s refusal to strengthen Ukraine’s military capabilities and inability of the ‘West’ to meet its energy needs , already forcing Ukraine into the spirit of discontentment.
Ukrainian Parliamentary elections labelled the pro-Russian separatists as ‘terrorists The NATO summit identified Russia as an adversary while President Obama has labelled it as the second biggest threat to global security after the Ebola virus.
The Kremlin has responded by promising to revise Russia’s military doctrine and referring to south-eastern Ukraine as ‘Novorossiya’ during its official engagements with the US.
- Some of the questions:
- What is minsk agreement?
- Why minsk agreement failed?
- What is minsk agreement 2020?
- Explain the minsk agreement?
0 Comments