Daniil MENCHIKOV, Lecturer, Department of legal English International law School, MGIMO University, Russia
Review of the article entitled: “Minsk process: societal perception and narratives”
(OSCE Insights 2020, Cécile Druey, Anna Hess, Julia Kaplan, Valentina Cherevatenko)
The article shows quite well and in an unbiased way how Minsk agreements, the negotiation process itself, and the armed conflict in southeastern Ukraine are perceived by the society. The article avoids accusing any of the parties of having started or fueling the conflict. Moreover, what is very valuable, it emphasizes the role of OSCE in settling the conflict. Nevertheless, several topics could be included in this article. First of all, despite the major and key role of the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe, to a certain extent the issue of the eventual UN involvement can be touched upon. Needless to say, the UN may play an important role in the settlement of the conflict too. It can provide an inclusive negotiation site. Then, the role of external players, namely, Russia and the USA might be given more focus. The impact of these countries on the parties of the conflict is acknowledged by the world community. Also, the issue of legal compliance of actions of the sides of the conflict can be included in the article. Whether or not they violate international public and humanitarian law, if they do, which provisions exactly. In this case, probably, the general issue of the article should be extended.