News and press releases

VIENNA, 25 January 2018 –The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned recent attacks against Turkish Cypriot newspaper Afrika’s Office in Nicosia.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and one ceasefire violation in Luhansk region (as in the previous reporting period). The Mission continued to follow up on reports of civilian casualties in Olenivka and followed up on new reports of civilian casualties in Dokuchaievsk and of civilians injured from mishandling of unexploded ordnance in Donetsk city and Verkhnotoretske. In Dokuchaievsk, the SMM also saw damage caused by gunfire to a residential building. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed calm situations. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere.* The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs of essential infrastructure in Krasnyi Lyman. The Mission visited three border areas not under government control.

On 25 January 2018 at 07:54 (Moscow time), the seventy-first Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 15 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 15 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:47 on 25 January.

VIENNA, 25 January 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation regarding the case of Uzbek journalist Khudoberdi Nurmatov, also known under his penname Ali Feruz, a contributing journalist to Novaya Gazeta.

VIENNA, 25 January 2018 – In his first address to the OSCE Permanent Council, OSCE President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) today called on the Organization’s participating States to ensure the effective functioning of the OSCE, noting it is one of the leanest and most flexible organizations in the world.

VIENNA, 25 January 2018 – International efforts to provide a safe security environment by combating the spread of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and by promoting the secure and safe stockpiling of SALW and conventional ammunition was the focus of yesterday’s OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation meeting in Vienna, under Slovakia’s Chairmanship of the Forum.

ERGNETI, 24 January 2018- The 84th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held today in Ergneti. The meeting was conducted in an open and positive atmosphere...