News and press releases

On 17 February, the SMM went to the headquarters of the JCCC, temporarily relocated to Soledar (77km north of Donetsk, government-controlled). The SMM was present at four video conference sessions with the Russian General formerly representing the Russian Federation at the JCCC, the Russian Major-General, Representative of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the JCCC and the Ukrainian Major-General, Head of the Ukrainian side to the JCCC and members of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) and the “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”). Representatives of the Presidential Administration and the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were also present...

VIENNA, 18 February 2015 – The Bureau of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today unanimously rejected the Russian Federation’s designation of Olga Kovitidi as a Member of the OSCE PA. Ms. Kovitidi was identified by the Russian Federation as a Member of the Federation Council representing the so-called government of Crimea. The Bureau made its decision following an official challenge by the Ukrainian Delegation to the OSCE PA regarding the designation...

On 13 February 2015 the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier concluded a three-day working visit to Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. During the visit, Zannier held meetings with government officials, representatives of the regional administration and civil society. In Dnipropetrovsk, he visited the Centre for internally displaced persons (IDPs), to which he handed over a donation of 20,000 Euros from the OSCE charity fund...

BISHKEK, 18 February 2015 – The protection of human rights in the armed forces was the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion today bringing together representatives of the Office of President of Kyrgyzstan, Parliament, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Defence Council, military judges and prosecutors, as well as international and non-governmental organizations and media...

Kyiv, 17 Feb, 2015 – Today the OSCE SMM visited the temporary headquarters of Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The Deputy Chief Monitor was present at four rounds of videoconference discussions, in which representatives of the General Staff of Ukraine, members of the so-called “DPR” and “LPR,” and Russian and Ukrainian heads of the JCCC took part...

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM observed that the ceasefire has largely held in most areas with the exception of Debaltseve (55km north-east of Donetsk) and Horlivka (44km north-west of Donetsk)...

PODGORICA, 17 February 2015 – OSCE Chairperson in Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today conveyed his full support for the Government’s reforms and commended progress achieved towards the country’s strategic objective of Euro-Atlantic integration, urging it to make the most of OSCE support in key areas such as rule of law, justice and combating corruption and organized crime...