Donetsk Foreign Minister Natalya Nikonorova Calls Talks About Negotiations On Donbas In Istanbul Premature

It is premature to talk about a meeting of the Minsk contact group on Donbas settlement in Turkey's Istanbul, Foreign Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Natalya Nikonorova said in an interview with Sputnik

DONETSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2022) It is premature to talk about a meeting of the Minsk contact group on Donbas settlement in Turkey's Istanbul, Foreign Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Natalya Nikonorova said in an interview with Sputnik.

A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told reporters last month about Turkey's plan to organize negotiations on the Minsk agreements in Istanbul, and invite representatives of Donbas and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to them. Ankara later said that the country was ready to host a meeting between Russia and Ukraine in the Minsk format and provide all the necessary support.

"It is too early to talk about the possibility of holding meetings of the contact group in Istanbul. Moreover, we were very satisfied with Minsk. And, by the way, it suited the Ukrainian side because Belarus did not interfere in the course of negotiations, it exclusively provided a platform for negotiations," Nikonorova said.

To hold these negotiations, it is necessary to address the issue of ensuring the security of representatives of the self-proclaimed Donbas republics, the diplomat added.