“A new Normandy-format meeting shall allow it to break the stalemate on the Donbas,” -- Dmytro Razumkov
During his regional trip to the city of Mariupol, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov visited the SE “Mariupol Merchant Sea Port”, where he went aboard a border patrol boat “Donbas” and conversed with the ship’s crew.
The speaker of the parliament expressed his gratitude to the seamen for the no mean service they are rendering in protecting our country. “There is plenty being done today by our servicemen, the National Guard, the border troops to finally make peace and return our territories. And the state will also make every effort to attain to that,” he assured.
Responding to questions from journalists, Dmytro Razumkov noted that the key problem of the region and Ukraine in general is the armed conflict. "This is the problem of the whole civilized world that does understand today we, Ukraine, are actually the outpost," he said.
The speaker also gave his comments on Ukraine's stance on the strategy of returning the temporary occupied territories: “In order to return the territory, people must first be returned. In order to get them back physically, they must be returned mentally. It is important today to show them that we really want this – there must be launched concrete projects, in particular, in the information and economic policies,” Dmytro Razumkov emphasized.
The issue of drafting a bill on the special status of the Donbas was also raised.
“We are scarce in time to develop the bill, but I am sure that the Verkhovna Rada will make every effort to start this process. It is from the Normandy meeting that many expect the changes that will allow it to defreeze the Donbas situation,” the head of parliament underlined in conclusion.