News and press releases

VIENNA, 18 October 2017 – The role of security forces in supporting national governments in managing migration crises was the focus of the today’s joint meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation under Serbia’s Chairmanship and the Permanent Council in Vienna.

VIENNA, 18 October 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern about an injunction issued by the Reykjavik District Commissioner on any reporting on leaked documents from the collapsed bank Glitnir. The documents, which have been reported on by international and domestic news media, allegedly include information about the prime minister’s financial interests at the bank...

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

VIENNA, 17 October 2017 – The Austrian OSCE Chairmanship closely followed the meeting of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Geneva on 16 October...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the Judicial Training Centre organized a first in a series of three one-day training courses on hate crime for representatives of the judiciary on 17 October 2017 in Podgorica...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24-hours. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations, including two explosions assessed as outgoing rounds, inside the Petrivske disengagement area, outside the reporting period. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including to a weapons storage site in areas outside government control and in Ivanivka, towards an area close to the border with the Russian Federation. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Zhelanne. Near Zernove the SMM saw a concentration of tanks and armoured combat vehicles, in a zone within which deployment of heavy armaments and military equipment is proscribed according to the Memorandum. The SMM observed the presence of mines, including east of Popasna, where it had previously seen demining activities. The Mission visited two border areas not under government control. The SMM monitored gatherings in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro...

VIENNA, 17 October 2017 – Co-operation on environmental and energy issues contributes to preventing tensions, building confidence and promoting good neighbourly relations in the OSCE region and therefore it must be strengthened, underlined senior officials and experts at high-level discussion taking place on 16 and 17 October in Vienna...