photo: www.osce.org

        The next rounds of talks on Ukraine will take place in Minsk on 3 August and 26 August, BelTA quotes Martin Sajdik, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s special representative in the trilateral contact group on Ukraine. Martin Sajdik also confirmed that participants of the talks continued discussing the creation of a security zone near the populated localities Petrovskoye and Zolotoye. He said participants of the talks still hope the matter will be resolved. Asked about the UN’s appeal to observe Olympic truce due to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Martin Sajdik said: “A day without bloodshed in the world is a plus. If Olympic Games represent a reason not to shoot at each other, not to kill each other, they are a plus.”
        Commenting on the decision of the self-declared People’s Republic of Donetsk to postpone municipal elections till November, Martin Sajdik said rescheduling was obvious and unavoidable.