Secretary-General Welcomes Commitment to Permanent Ceasefire in Ukraine

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General welcomes the commitment by the parties to implement a permanent ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on the occasion of the start of the new school year.  He stresses the need to ensure that the ceasefire is sustainable and calls on all parties to fully abide by its terms, especially in order to protect the civilians who suffer most from the ongoing hostilities.

The Secretary-General also reiterates the support of the United Nations for the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Trilateral Contact Group and the Normandy Four to find a negotiated solution to the conflict.  He urges all concerned to work towards that end.