News and press releases

On the occasion of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Tajikistan’s National Mine Action Centre (TNMAC) and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe brought together government officials, international and national state organizations, the donor community and NGOs involved in the Tajikistan Mine Action Programme on 4 April 2018 in Dushanbe...

A two-day training course on practical views and ideas for addressing gender stereotypes and mentorship programmes for men gender champions concluded on 29 March 2018 at the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

CHISINAU, 20 March 2018- The OSCE Mission to Moldova will hand over four sets of technical equipment to the Military Observers of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces on behalf of the Republic of Moldova, of the Transdniestrian region, Russian Federation and Ukraine at the meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) on Thursday, 22 March. The equipment, consisting of notebooks, colour printers, GPS tracking devices and photo cameras, was purchased at the request of the JCC to improve information exchange between the Military Observers and the JCC about the situation in the Security Zone...

MOSCOW, 19 March 2018 – The 18 March presidential election in Russia took place in an overly controlled environment, marked by continued pressure on critical voices, while the Central Election Commission (CEC) administered the process efficiently and openly, the international observers concluded in a statement today. After intense efforts to promote turnout, citizens voted in significant numbers, yet restrictions on the fundamental freedoms, as well as on candidate registration, have limited the space for political engagement and resulted in a lack of genuine competition, the statement says...

VIENNA, 16 March 2018- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Franco Frattini will travel to the Republic of Moldova from 26 to 28 March 2018 in his first visit to the country in this capacity. He will hold talks with top-level Moldovan officials and leadership in Tiraspol, including both Chief Negotiators. He will also meet with resident ambassadors of the “5+2” negotiation format. The appointment of Frattini – a former Italian Foreign Minister and Vice-President of the European Commission – underlines the importance the Italian OSCE Chairmanship attaches to advancing the settlement process...

VIENNA, 9 March 2018- Following the interim court decision in Silivri to release two Cumhuriyet staff members, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir repeated his call to Turkey to release the last imprisoned defendant and drop charges against all 17 defendants of the trial.

VIENNA, 9 March 2018 – Yesterday’s court sentencing against 25 media workers shows the immense pressure to which media are exposed in the country, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today.