News and press releases

On 3rd February 2017, the 74th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Kęstutis Jankauskas, the Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Mr. Armin Rieser, OSCE Chairmanship representative.

CHISINAU, 3 February 2017 – A group of 14 young men and women from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey and the Russian Federation came together in Chisinau, Moldova, for a two-day workshop to discuss the threat of violent extremism in the Black Sea region. The workshop was convened at the initiative of the Austrian Chairmanship which has identified the prevention of terrorist radicalization as one of its priorities.

KYIV, 3 February 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic today called for all sides in the conflict-affected area in Ukraine to increase their efforts to ensure safety of journalists.

VIENNA, 3 February 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed her concern at the case of TMC journalist Paul Larrouturou who was violently thrown out of a public event on 1 February when he tried to pose a question to Front National presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen.

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), on the initiative of the authorities of Kazakhstan, conducted a two-day visit to the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the Prosecutor General’s Office in Astana from 30 to 31 January 2017...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared to the previous reporting period, but the overall situation remained highly tense. It observed the use of multiple-launch-rocket systems in Horlivka and Kruta Balka. While the majority of violations were again recorded in the wider area of Avdiivka-Yasynuvata, the SMM recorded hundreds of explosions in different areas of the contact line. The SMM and the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) facilitated a local ceasefire allowing repairs to power lines supplying the Donetsk water filtration station and to restore electricity to the town of Avdiivka. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines and on the move on both sides of the contact line. The SMM monitored the humanitarian situation in Avdiivka and Yasynuvata, it followed up on reports of civilian casualties and saw damage caused by shelling on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued monitoring the three disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske but its access remained restricted.* The Mission monitored the continuing blockade of a railway track near Hirske. In Kyiv the SMM monitored a funeral ceremony for seven Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers reportedly killed in Avdiivka...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) signed an agreement with the Maltese authorities on 2 February 2017 to implement ODIHR’s Training against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme. The programme is designed to be integrated into existing training