News and press releases

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized the first in a series of public debates for young people on 12 October 2017, aiming to develop their public speaking and reasoning skills. About 50 high school students and teachers gathered at Vasil Levski Lyceum in Chisinau to participate in the debate and observe new ways of learning through interaction...

A training workshop on conflict management for the Montenegrin parliamentary services concluded on 13 October 2017 in Podgorica. The two-day workshop was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Human Resources department.

An eight-day OSCE regional course “Management of Specialist Demilitarization Activities” for some 40 military and civilian experts focusing on Advanced Explosive Ordnance Disposal Level 3 Plus began on 16 October 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

BISHKEK, 16 October 2017 – The 15 October presidential election in Kyrgyzstan contributed to the strengthening of democratic institutions by providing for an orderly transfer of power from one elected president to another, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. The election was competitive, as voters had a broad choice and candidates could generally campaign freely, although cases of the misuse of public resources, pressure on voters and vote buying remain a concern, the observers said.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including, however, a similar number of explosions, compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region the Mission recorded a significant increase in ceasefire violations compared with the previous reporting period, mostly west-north-west of Kadiivka. The SMM continued monitoring all three disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor demining activities inside the Zolote disengagement area as part of preparatory work to clear the road and possibly open a new entry-exit checkpoint. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Svobodne and Ozerianivka.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Dovhe and Kalmiuske. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure between Klynove and Novozvanivka, in Shchastia, near Artema, and between Zolote and Popasna. The SMM observed long queues at checkpoints near the contact line. In Kharkiv, the Mission monitored the security situation around a concert...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring all three disengagement areas. It recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. The SMM facilitated and monitored demining activities inside the Zolote disengagement area as part of a preparatory work to clear the road and open a new entry-exit checkpoint. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in a heavy weapons holding area in an area not controlled by the Government in Donetsk region. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Novoselivka and Novoamvrosiivske. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the thermal power plant in Shchastia, as well as demining activities in the area of a gas distribution station near Marinka...

Vienna, 13 October 2017 – Recent threats by senior politicians to Bulgarian TV journalist Viktor Nikolaev are a point of concern for the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, as he expressed today.