News and press releases

BAKU, 2 June 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, started his official trip to the South Caucasus today with a visit to Baku, where he discussed with President llham Aliyev new aspects of co-operation between the OSCE and Azerbaijan, and called for implementing tension-reducing measures regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict...

The process of drafting and preparing legislation in the Kyrgyz Republic should be more transparent and participatory, said a preliminary assessment presented by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Bishkek on 2 June 2014. The presentation was held for representatives of the country’s parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, and of the government, the presidential administration and civil society.

The meeting, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), brought together participants from Roma and Sinti civil society organizations and from academia to discuss experiences and good practices within the OSCE area on teaching about the Roma and Sinti genocide during World War II.

YEREVAN, 2 June 2014 – A series of training sessions for civil servants from Armenian ministries and state agencies on simplifying regulations in the market environment kicked off today in Yerevan with OSCE support...

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek donated equipment worth 50,000 Euros to the Ilbirs Special Forces under the General Staff of the Kyrgyz Republic on 29 May 2014. The official handover ceremony took place in Osh city and was incorporated into national Armed Forces Day events...

The overall security situation in Donetsk region remains very volatile, with sporadic infighting between various groups. Public security and safety is of the highest concern. The situation in Luhansk region is volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm. SMM has not reestablished contact with the 4 monitors from Donetsk Team, nor with the 4 monitors and interpreter from Luhansk Team with whom it lost contact on 26 May and 29 May respectively.

Bern, 30 May, 2014- Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, in a phone call with President-elect of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, personally assured him of the OSCE’s continuing commitment to support Ukraine in finding adequate solutions to the crisis.