OSCE Permanent Council decides to extend OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk by one month

VIENNA, 20 November 2014 – The mandate of the OSCE Observer Mission at the Russian checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk has been extended by one month to 23 December 2014, following a consensus decision taken by all 57 OSCE participating States today.

The Mission was initially launched on 29 July 2014 following a consensus decision of the OSCE Permanent Council on 24 July, and was mandated for a period of three months. On 22 October 2014, the Mission’s mandate was renewed by one month in a consensus decision taken by the OSCE Permanent Council.

The mandate of the Mission remains unchanged. Operating under the principles of impartiality and transparency, the observers will report on the situation, including movements across the Russian-Ukrainian border at the two Russian checkpoints.   

In today’s decision, the Observer Mission has been expanded from 16 to 22 civilian observers. They will continue to operate 24/7 in teams, supplemented by a small logistic and administrative support team. The Chief of the Observer Mission, Paul Picard, will continue to provide regular reports through the Chairmanship to the Permanent Council.