News and press releases

MOSCOW/PARIS/WASHINGTON DC, 23 April 2018 – In light of recent political developments in the region and the possibility of escalation along the Line of Contact, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) underscore the critical importance of the sides respecting the ceasefire at this delicate time and, in particular, keeping heavy equipment positioned in the rear of the frontlines.

Multidisciplinary and gender-sensitive approaches reflecting the needs and voices of survivors of human trafficking were at the centre of discussions at a side event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU/TNTD)

A three-day workshop organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo to support the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA) in finalizing the draft Law on Allocation for Use and Exchange of Immovable Property of the Municipality concluded on 22 April 2018 in Tirana, Albania...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini- unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near non-government-controlled Novohryhorivka in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties, including an employee of Voda Donbassa, in Donetsk city and Toretsk. Operations at the Donetsk Filtration Station remained suspended following the 17 April gunfire that wounded Voda Donbassa employees. The Mission facilitated the handover of possible human remains from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas.*

Assessing digital intelligence and implementing findings obtained for planning operative measures in the fight against transnational organized crime facilitated by the Internet was the focus of the OSCE-hosted one-week training course, which took place from 16 to 20 April in Tirana...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of three people wounded by small-arms fire near Donetsk city. The SMM saw fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Staromykhailivka. The SMM visited the Yunkom mine amidst concerns of possible radioactive contamination from planned flooding. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, at an airfield near Peremozhne, and in areas near Voznesenivka close to the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line.

Government and civil society representatives from Andorra, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Slovakia gathered for the third OSCE National Action Plan Academy workshop on 19 and 20 April 2018 in Vienna to discuss good practices in the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.