Joint statement by the president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the secretary general of the same Assembly and the head of the delegation of San Marino, as well as Special Rapporteur on Disinformation and Propaganda, Oscar Mina.

“In response to the security situation in Ukraine and to the indications of military enhancements that cause deterioration due to an escalation of the eastern conflict, the president of the OSCE General Assembly, the Swedish Margareta Cederfelt and the Secretary General of the OSCE Ap- Osce, Roberto Montella, expressed profound today and reiterated the AP-Osce’s support for the continuation of the high-level dialogue.

‘We are extremely concerned about the continuing escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine, including reports of intense bombing of civilian areas,’ said President Cederfelt.

‘After seeing media reports of civilians fleeing the area and military mobilizations, we strongly urge that the parties refrain from provocative acts that could aggravate the crisis. The lives and futures of people living in conflict-affected regions are the driving force behind our commitment to the international community’s efforts to resolve this crisis. ‘

‘There is only one acceptable way through to resolve the crisis in and around Ukraine, and an honest dialogue based on fundamental principles is shared by all parties to the Helsinki Final Act, including full respect for sovereignty and for territorial integrity of all countries, ‘said Montella.

‘We call for diplomacy and a new commitment to resolve differences by fully implementing the Minsk agreements in good faith. All necessary measures must be taken to avoid a full-scale war and to resolve the conflict which has already claimed 14,000 lives in the Donbas’ region.

Cederfelt and Montella reaffirmed the PA-OSCE’s support for the diplomatic efforts of the Polish OSCE Presidency and called for all OSCE tools to reduce risk, including the transparency-enhancing mechanisms of the Vienna Document of the ‘Osce and the Trilateral Contact Group.

They also highlighted the role of parliamentary diplomacy and stated that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will continue to facilitate dialogue.

They reiterated the Assembly’s support for the work of 1,300 OSCE men and women serving in Ukraine to observe and report impartially and objectively on objectives on the ground and for dialogue.

They also reiterated the Assembly’s continued support for maintaining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

The Special Representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for disinformation and propaganda Oscar Mina (San Marino) added that the increasingly hostile and incendiary rhetoric detracts from the diplomatic efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability.

‘I condemn the use of intimidation and disinformation campaigns and I urge everyone to stop this propaganda at civilian expense’ ”.