OPPOSITION PLATFORM – FOR LIFE supports prolongation of the bill on special status for the Donbas, and believes it must be enacted permanently, MP Serhiy Lovochkin told reporters on the sidelines of the Verkhovna Rada.

“We are satisfied that the parliament passed the bill on special status. Without it, Ukraine would have pulled out of the Minsk agreements in its sole distraction. But ‘Minsk’ is key to peace in the Donbas,” the politician said.

He said OPPOSITION PLATFORM – FOR LIFE advocates passing the draft bill on special status for the Donbas that had been submitted by its parliamentary faction.

“Our draft bill provisions that the special status law will be enacted permanently, and all subsequent bills will be based on it, including amendments to the Constitution and the bill on amnesty, i.e. the entire package as stipulated by the Minsk agreements, the prerequisite to peace,” Lovochkin said.

The MP said the Paris communique issued after the Normandy format meeting rules out any possibilities for revision of the Minsk agreements.

“All parties confirmed the Minsk agreements in the communique and committed to implement them until the next meeting. By that time, and the documents prescribes it, there must be created a basis for discussion of Donbas elections,” Lovochkin said.