Ukraine should offer Russia and international community a new international document (Memorandum), which would outline the settlement of current crisis and become a basis for long-lasting peace and stability in the region, analysts of the International Center for Policy Studies (ICPS), Ukrainian think tank, stated.
In particular, Vasyl Filipchuk, Advisor of the ICPS, mentioned that such kind of the document should grant Russia and other countries in the region, which do not aim at EU accession, the prospect of integration to European area of free movement of goods, services, capital and people.
“Such an area, similar to or on the basis of the European economic area, would open access to common European benefits for Russia while allowing this country to stay out of EU political structures” stated Mr. Filipchuk. “Memorandum may offer security guarantees to Russia, for instance, consent of Ukraine not to accede to NATO if Russia withdraws its fleet from Crimea in 2017 and provides renewed and effective international guarantees for territorial integrity of our country. Both countries and NATO may establish a new form of a dialogue up to providing mutual guarantees of security and mutual assistance. This Memorandum may also cover other issues, including Russian language, and in future it may complement Helsinki documents and become a driver or a mechanism to reform the OSCE.”
Meanwhile, a key challenge today in order to start consultation on a peace deal with Russia is to appoint an adequate professional negotiator, who is able to communicate with Russia and trusted by all the sides – the US, the EU and the Russian Federation. Ukraine has such negotiators, but their appointment is impeded due to absence of political will on the part of a new leadership in the country, experts noted.
“Russian aggression has become the major challenge for modern Ukraine. At the same time it gave us a unique chance to review current architecture of European order in which, up to now, Ukraine has not taken its due place”, noted V. Filipchuk.
