Press release by the OSCE Chairmanship regarding monitoring exercises conducted by the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference

VIENNA, 6 June 2017 – Responding to media enquiries, a spokesperson of the OSCE Chairmanship today said:

“The monitoring exercises of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, are carefully prepared and agreed with the sides. They are conducted with the assistance of military escorts to ensure the safety of all participants.

In the preparatory phase, the Personal Representative clearly defines the area in which he would like the monitoring exercise to take place. He chooses locations which provide an opportunity to evaluate the situation. A monitoring exercise is considered to be successful if the Personal Representative and his teams are led by the sides to the agreed area, which is confirmed by establishing visual contact. In addition, the Personal Representative and his teams are provided with information through briefings.

Monitoring exercises are an important confidence building measure. The Personal Representative is continuously exploring other avenues to increase confidence between the sides.”