1044th Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council

Prior to taking up the agenda, the Chairperson welcomed the new Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the OSCE, Monsignor J. Urbańczyk. The Permanent Representative of the Holy See delivered a statement to mark the assumption of his post. Address by the Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Belgium, H.E. Didier Reynders. Report by the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Mr. Michael Georg Link. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1160 on the extension of the deployment of OSCE observers to two Russian checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border (Latvia-European Union, interpretative statement 1; United States of America, interpretative statement 2; Ukraine, interpretative statement 3; Russian Federation, interpretative statement 4). The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1161 on the extension of the terms of reference of the Audit Committee. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1162 on the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (United States of America, interpretative statement 1; Canada, interpretative statement 2; Russian Federation, interpretative statement 3; Ukraine, interpretative statement 4; Latvia-European Union, interpretative statement 5). Ongoing aggression against Ukraine and violations of OSCE principles and commitments by the Russian Federation. Situation in Ukraine and the need to implement the Minsk agreements. Abduction and illegal detention of Ukrainian citizens by the Russian Federation. International Women’s Day, observed on 8 March 2015. Freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in Tajikistan. Death penalty in the United States of America. Report on the activities of the Chairperson-in-Office.