News and press releases

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe held a ceremony to mark its donation of humanitarian demining equipment to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence and the National Mine Action Centre on 20 February 2018.

SARAJEVO, 21 February 2018 – It is essential to focus on the long-term benefits of political dialogue and compromise for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and not pursue short-term political gains, said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger during a two-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which concluded today in Sarajevo.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a casualty from Spartak. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at three border crossing points in Luhansk region at the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Shymshynivka. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor repair works at a water pumping station in Artema, to a water pipeline between Berezove and Dokuchaievsk, as well as to powerlines between Orlivske and Pavlopil. The SMM visited six border areas outside government control. The Mission monitored gatherings in Chernivtsi, Kharkiv and Lviv on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of events at Maidan...

VIENNA, 21 February 2018- The United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in All its Aspects complements the OSCE’s work in this area and both are fundamental to the security and stability of participating States, said speakers at today’s OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation meeting in Vienna, held under Slovakia’s Chairmanship...

SARAJEVO, 21 February 2018 – The presentation of a report compiled by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina titled Trial Monitoring of Corruption Cases in BiH: A First Assessment brought together over 100 representatives of the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today in Sarajevo. The report was developed within the framework of the project Assessing Needs of Judicial Response to Corruption through Monitoring of Criminal Cases and with the support of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

THE HAGUE, 21 February 2018 – Embracing linguistic and cultural diversity alongside multilingualism and societal cohesion is a driver for peace, mutual understanding and friendly relations among peoples and states, said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Lamberto Zannier in the following statement to mark International Mother Language Day.