Updated 2:54 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia intends to increase the number of its observers in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said in an interview with RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
"Our quota [in the OSCE mission] is approximately 40 people. We plan to use our quota in full," Meshkov said. "Candidates are currently being nominated and chosen."
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine was deployed at the request of Ukrainian authorities and a consensus agreement by the 57 OSCE participating states. The mission is monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and working on decreasing tensions and promoting peace, stability and security in the region.
On September 26, Russia's OSCE permanent representative Andrei Kelin said the OSCE was considering a civilian peacekeeping operation in Ukraine, with the number of observers to be raised from 229 to 350.
The Ukrainian government and independence supporters of the country's eastern regions agreed to a ceasefire during the September 5 Contact Group meeting in Minsk. Another meeting of the group, held on September 19, resulted in the adoption of a nine-point memorandum, specifying the provisions of the ceasefire.
Since the establishment of the ceasefire, the opposing sides have repeatedly accused one another of violating the truce, although the OSCE said last month that the ceasefire was generally holding.
