News and press releases

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro participated in a ceremony to hand over keys of 94 newly built housing units to families in the Municipality of Berane on 26 March 2019. The construction, worth 3.9 million euro, is part of the Regional Housing Programme (RHP).

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.

Heavy machine-gun fired in the direction of an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle flying near non-government-controlled Dovhe. The UAV was not damaged. Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh damage to a residential house due to shelling in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure and an assessment of residential houses damaged by shelling in Luhansk region. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at checkpoints near Zaichenko and in Horlivka...

23 border and customs officers from Montenegro’s Podgorica and Tivat airports, the Civil Aviation Agency and the Intelligence Agency of Montenegro attended a national training course on risk analysis and management, from 19 to 21 March 2019 in Podgorica.

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 22 and 23 March, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 23 and 24 March, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM saw fresh damage to residential houses due to shelling in Pikuzy. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM followed up on the announcement by the Ukrainian authorities that they would open the entry-exit checkpoint near Zolote for civilian passage on 24 March. It saw that vegetation surrounding the checkpoint had been burned and mine hazard signs removed at the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the disengagement area. The SMM did not see any civilians crossing the checkpoint. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line.

BRATISLAVA, 25 March 2019 – The recurring message at today’s opening of the annual OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference in Bratislava was clear: Strengthening co-operation among states and fostering partnerships between governments and civil society are key to countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism...

VIENNA, 25 March 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, published today a legal review of proposed amendments to the “Law on Free Access to Information of Public Character” in North Macedonia. The review was previously officially sent to the Minister of Justice, Renata Deskoska.