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"I would like to express my hope that this year will be decisive for the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Today [January 18] we have agreed on the calendar of our future meetings until late summer. I would like to note that the Trilateral Contact Group remains the only permanent format for resolving the crisis in and around Ukraine, which is working on the solutions and resolves current issues, such as, for example, the exchange of detainees," he said in a statement after a TCG meeting on January 18, 2018.

Read alsoRFE/RL: New OSCE chairman vows to 'intensify' efforts to end Ukraine conflict"The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues discussed the lessons learned from the exchange on December 27. I hope that this great achievement will positively affect the entire negotiation process. Today the Working Group discussed possible next steps. I am deeply convinced that we shall look ahead and solve the remaining issues in this respect. In addition, it is necessary to give a detailed consideration to the complex issue of missing persons," Sajdik said.

He noted that the Working Group on Security noted a significant reduction in the number of ceasefire violations during the past holidays. In this regard, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan noted the importance of the removal of heavy weapons and withdrawal of forces and hardware.

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"In addition, one of the important topics was the interruption of work of the mobile operator 'Vodafone-Ukraine' in Donbas. The repair works have been under way in certain areas of Luhansk region for two days now in the conditions of the local ceasefire. The sides hope that the restoration of the cable in Donetsk will soon be completed, too," he said.

The participants of the Economic Working Group continued the discussion of issues of payment for water deliveries in the systems "Karbonyt" and "Voda Donbassa", he stressed.

"The Political Working Group continued to discuss the issues related to the future implementation of the so-called 'Steinmeier formula'. There was also a discussion on the Law of Ukraine 'On the peculiarities of the state policy on securing the state sovereignty of Ukraine over the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions' adopted by the Verkhovna Rada today. The discussion was carried out without prior acquaintance with the final text," Sajdik added.

The next TCG meeting in Minsk is scheduled for January 31.