OSCE returns to Chechnya

OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, travelled to Chechnya on 15 June 2001 to officially inaugurate the Znamenskoye office of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya, marking the return of the OSCE to the Republic.

OSCE involvement in Chechnya

The OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya was first established in April 1995, and helped in brokering ceasefire agreements to end hostilities in the area. Due to the deteriorating security situation, the international staff of the Group were withdrawn to Moscow in December 1998, where they continued to operate from temporary facilities. The OSCE office in Grozny remained open until armed fighting broke out again in 1999.

From Moscow, the Group co-ordinated the delivery of humanitarian aid and the implementation of projects aimed at providing assistance to those affected by the ongoing conflict.

Presence in Znamenskoye
The planning and preparation for the return of the Assistance Group to Chechnya began in 2000. The town of Znamenskoye, located in the northern part Chechnya, was selected as the base for deployment.

Following the official inauguration by the Chairman-in-Office on 15 June 2001, OSCE international staff will now be permanently deployed in Znamenskoye, working to implement the Assistance Group's mandate: promoting respect for human rights and freedoms; facilitating the delivery of international humanitarian aid; providing assistance for the speedy return of refugees and displaced persons; and promoting a peaceful resolution of the crisis and stabilization in the Republic.

A major breakthrough

"Having the OSCE back in Chechnya is a major breakthrough for the Organization," said the OSCE Chairman-in-Office during the opening ceremony.

"An important phase of our effort has ended. The most difficult is yet to come. The OSCE Assistance Group stands ready to facilitate a political settlement of the crisis," he added.

Mr. Geoana called for the full implementation of the Group's mandate, and expressed his conviction that Alexandru Cornea, Head of the Assistance Group, who officially took up his office on this occasion, will be able to engage both the local and federal authorities in a conststructive dialogue.

Issues in focus

Mr. Geoana also stressed the importance the OSCE attaches to human rights issues in Chechnya.

During a visit to a camp for internally displaced persons in Znamenskoye, he discussed humanitarian projects with Mr. Akhmad Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen administration, and called for the urgent renewal of international assistance with the return of internally displaced persons.