DPR will not participate in Ukrainian parliamentary elections - Purgin
VLADIVOSTOK. Oct 18 (Interfax) - Andrei Purgin, deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said the DPR will not participate in the Ukrainian parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26.
"We will not participate in the Ukrainian parliamentary elections. I would even say that, even if we elect any of our representatives, I think they will not live long on the territory of today's Kyiv," Purgin said in an interview on the television program Vesti v Subbotu s Sergeyem Brilyovym broadcast to the Far East.
Purgin said any political alliances with Ukraine are now out of the question. "yes, we are ready to discuss specific things such as division lines, mine clearance, the removal of troops and heavy weapons, we can also discuss economic issues, socio-cultural, transit, transport, and other issues, that is, we need to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and enable people to start living a normal life, but we are not talking about nay political things now," Purgin said.
Some 400,000 people were killed and infrastructure was destroyed in the DPR in the period of the conflict, he said.
"On November 2, we will have elections to the People's Council and new legitimate democratic elected administrations, apparently based on this law [on the special status of the DPR and LPR] which Ukraine has signed. These are the issues on which Ukraine can and wants to talk. Our representatives will conduct negotiations with Ukraine based on this law," Purgin said.
Purgin also said the law on the special status of the two self-proclaimed republics signed by Ukraine allows for many different interpretations. "The law is written in such a way that it can be interpreted differently. Plus it's a framework law, that is, it has to be supplemented with some decrees issued by the Cabinet and the agencies. Essentially it's an invitation to dialogue, not a specific document," Purgin said.