Military, civilian experts from OSCE states to stay in Ukraine until 20 March

On 16 March 2014, Ukraine requested another continuation of the visit by unarmed military and civilian personnel from OSCE participating States. The visit is to cover the south and east of the country and will last until 20 March.

As of end Tuesday, 18 March, twenty-four participating States have responded positively to the request:  Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the USA. The total number of personnel is 42.

The visit is taking place under Chapter III of the Vienna Document 2011, which allows for voluntary hosting of visits to dispel concerns about unusual military activities.

A first visit to Crimea was organized from 5 to 12 March 2014, when the group was unable to move beyond checkpoints at the administrative border. Subsequently, Ukraine asked for an extension of the visit until 16 March, to cover the south and east of the country.

The Vienna Document 2011 is one of the main confidence-building measures developed by the OSCE. Under this document, all participating States are required to share information on their military forces, equipment and defence planning. The Document also provides for inspections and evaluation visits that can be conducted on the territory of any participating State that has armed forces.