News and press releases

A two-day roundtable discussion organized jointly by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the local Aarhus Centre on the role of environmental protection in the sustainable development of tourism in the popular resort region of Issyk-Kul ended on 26 June 2016...

Policy advisors from Central Asian ministries, presidential administrations, parliaments and research institutions completed an OSCE-organized three-day Young Policy Advisers Course on 27 June 2016 in Bishkek, with the aim of improving their professional capacities and enhancing their ability to develop and implement policies in an objective and value-based manner.

As part of a one-year project to support the engagement of national minority youth and civil society in public discussions and public service, a roundtable discussion was held at the OSCE Mission to Moldova on 24 June 2016...

Vienna, 25 June 2016 – The OSCE Security Days event “From Confrontation to Co-operation- Restoring Co-operative Security in Europe”, held in Berlin on 24 June, explored possible ways to use multilateral institutions and confidence-building instruments to keep dialogue and communication channels open, and to foster meaningful co-operation in addressing persistent divisions and mistrust in the OSCE region.

In Donetsk region, the SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations, with nearly 90 explosions during the night of 23 June and four during the day. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded some ceasefire violations compared with none during the previous day. It conducted crater analysis and observed damage to houses in Kirovskyi district and Kominternove. The SMM continued to observe long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line, with civilians suffering from high temperatures. It reached the border in an area not controlled by the Government on one occasion. In Kharkiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering related to the status of volunteer participants in the Anti-Terrorism Operation. The SMM’s freedom of movement was restricted on two occasions – once in a government-controlled area and once in an area outside government control...*

The SMM observed more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to the previous day and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. It followed up on reports of shelling and observed significant movement of weapons in Luhansk region. The SMM continued to observe long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. In Chernivtsi National University, the number of woman enrolling in the department of military training program has steadily been increasing, the SMM heard. The SMM’s freedom of movement was restricted on one occasion in areas outside government control...

VIENNA, 24 June 2016 – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) call on the sides to honour the agreements which were reflected in the Joint Statements of the May 16 summit in Vienna and the June 20 summit in St. Petersburg...