News and press releases

On 10 July 2018, the 88th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held in Ergneti. Mr. Erik Høeg, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Mr. James C. O’Shea, representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), co-facilitated the meeting.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded a ceasefire violation near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and continued to observe military presence inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was restricted near Starolaspa in Donetsk region and at a military-type compound in Luhansk region. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Kreminna, Krasnorichenske and Chervonopopivka. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure near Artema, Novotoshkivske, Novoselivka, Stanytsia Luhanska and Bolotene. In Kyiv, the SMM observed a public gathering.

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 has increased by only one person at both BCPs...

BERLIN, 10 July 2018 – The three general committees of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly – the political and security committee, the economic and environmental committee and the human rights and humanitarian affairs committee – have wrapped up their work at the 27th Annual Session in Berlin.

A one-week summer school on communism and the communist legacy in Albania started on 9 July 2018 in Tirana. The event is being held for the second consecutive year and is organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania, in co-operation with the Faculty and the Institute for the Studies of Communist Crimes and Consequences in Albania.

VIENNA, 9 July 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern regarding the law decree issued in Turkey on 8 July, which closed down three newspapers and one TV station, in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region between the evenings of 6 and 7 July, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 7 and 8 July the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it saw a recent trench inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted in Zaichenko, Starolaspa and Olenivka, as well as at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. The Mission monitored the transfer of mortal remains from government-controlled to non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. It also monitored gatherings in Kherson and Odessa.