News and press releases

Sarajevo, 23 March 2023 – As current Chair of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), and in partnership with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 22 March in Vienna, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) organized a side event Strengthening Regional Co-operation on Parliamentary Oversight of Defence and Security in Southeast Europe.

Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, and Ambassador Michael J. Murphy, U.S. Ambassador to BiH, handed over ICT equipment to anti-corruption bodies from Republika Srpska, the Federation of BiH, Brčko District BiH and nine cantons. The donation is worth around 126,000 EUR and

PODGORICA, 20 March 2023 – Montenegro’s presidential election was competitive, with candidates able to campaign freely and fundamental freedoms for all citizens respected, but the candidate registration was not inclusive and longstanding shortcomings in the legal framework and campaign finance regulations remained unaddressed, international observers said in a statement today.

ASTANA, 20 March 2023 – The 19 March early parliamentary elections were held in the context of reforms introduced to bring Kazakhstan closer to holding elections in line with international standards and OSCE commitments, as legal amendments addressed several previous recommendations and provided increased choice for voters. However, limits on the exercise of fundamental freedoms remain, and some political groups continued to be prevented from participation as parties in elections. Further changes to the legal framework are needed to provide a sufficient basis for conducting democratic elections, the international observers said in a statement released today.

Sixteen demining specialists from Central Asian countries completed a three-week regional Explosive Ordnance Disposal course (EOD level 3) on 17 March 2023 in Dushanbe. The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized the event in co-operation with Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the United States Army Central.

VIENNA, 17 March 2023 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, strongly condemned today the judgements in the cases against editor-in-chief Maryna Zolatava and director general Ludmila Chekina, of TUT.BY, one of the largest and most prominent Belarusian media portals.

From 13 to 17 March, the OSCE conducted a five-day needs assessment visit to Moldova on the country’s law enforcement structures. This visit, in response to the security challenges in the region, took place in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Moldova.