Košice conference supports civil dialogue of Russia and Ukraine

The adoption of a memorandum calling for an unconditional halt of military operations in Eastern Ukraine concluded a peace conference, which took place in Kosice on Friday and Saturday. The declaration emphasises a need for observing the ceasefire agreement from Minsk as well as refraining from aggressive rhetoric in politics, media and social life on both sides of the conflict. The memorandum also supports the deployment of OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and agrees with the creation of a framework for peremptory humanitarian aid to the regions affected. The Roads to Peace conference was initiated by the German-Russian Forum and the German-Ukrainian Forum in association with the Bratislava-based ASA Institute (Analyses-Strategies-Alternatives Institute), under the auspices of the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who didn't attend due to an illness. A similar conference might be held in Košice towards the end of the summer.