News and press releases

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine jointly with the project Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions (SACCI) funded by USAID, conducted dialogue focus groups on anti-corruption reform in 10 regions across Ukraine in 2017. The results of these dialogues were assembled in publication of survey on perceptions of the success of the anti-corruption reform presented at an event held on 13 March 2018 in Kyiv.

VIENNA, 14 March 2018 – Concluding Slovakia’s Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) in Vienna today, the country’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE and Chairperson of the Forum Ambassador Radomír Boháč said Slovakia strived to be an impartial facilitator of the discussions amid growing polarization and diverging views among participating States...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and observed a ceasefire violation near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including again in Kozatske, at the Chervona Mohyla railway station and a border crossing point near Voznesenivka in Luhansk region – near the border with the Russian Federation – and to a compound in Kremenivka. The SMM observed weapons in violation near Lobacheve. The Mission observed anti-tank mines in Verkhnotoretske and Betmanove. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske water pumping station in Artema. In Kyiv, the Mission followed up on reports of a fire at a chapel of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church...

BAKU, 13 March 2018 – The OSCE’s economic and environmental activities are among its greatest successes, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly George Tsereteli (Georgia) said today at an international conference in Baku. Parliamentarians have a key role to play in favoring economic opportunities and increased trade to support security across the OSCE area, he said, adding that all OSCE countries are becoming increasingly aware of the link between economic success and individual security...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and the same number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region between the evenings of 9 and 10 March, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 10 and 11 March, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of civilians injured and killed following an explosion near a minibus in Donetsk city’s Kirovskyi district. Near Ternove, small arms were again fired toward an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it observed ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at a heavy weapons holding area, a permanent storage site and at two crossing points near the border with the Russian Federation in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Marinka and Khrustalnyi. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to essential infrastructure near Krasnyi Lyman and Artema. The Mission visited four border areas not under government control.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and observed calm situations in the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including again at the Chervona Mohyla railway station near Voznesenivka, at two border crossing points in Luhansk region near the border with the Russian Federation and near Oleksandrivske.* The Mission saw mine hazard signs for the first time near Dokuchaievsk and Staryi Krym. The SMM visited three border areas not under government control. The Mission monitored a court hearing in Kyiv and gatherings in Kyiv, Odessa and Kharkiv.

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.