6 Oct 2014 17:53

Turchynov urges OSCE to monitor Ukraine-Russia border with drones

KYIV. Oct 6 (Interfax) - Ukraine's parliamentary speaker, Oleksandr Turchynov, has proposed expanding the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's mission in monitoring the Ukrainian-Russian border.

"We have arrived at a turning point. Depending on how insistently and synchronously the international community will act, we will either stop the conflict, or it will enter a new and more large-scale stage," he told 36 OSCE representatives in Kyiv on Monday, according to the Ukrainian government's website.

Turchynov proposed increasing the number of OSCE representatives on Ukraine's eastern border "and monitor the border using drones."

An OSCE monitoring mission was dispatched to Ukraine for six months on March 21, earlier reports said. The mission's goal is to facilitate de-escalation and strengthen peace, stability and security in Ukraine.

A decision was made in late July to extend the work of the special mission by another six months. The OSCE also said that it could bring the number of observers in Ukraine to 500, which would be sufficient for monitoring the observance of the ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine.