News and press releases

SKOPJE, 28 April 2014 – Fundamental freedoms were respected and candidates were able to campaign without obstruction in the 27 April elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, but shortcomings identified in the first round of the presidential election two weeks earlier, including the blurring of state and party activities and biased and unbalanced media coverage in favour of the ruling party, either persisted or were more pronounced, international observers said in a statement issued today...

INTERLAKEN, Switzerland, 28 April 2014 – The OSCE, with its comprehensive approach to security linking politico-military, economic and environmental and human rights objectives, was well-placed to assist participating States in preventing and combating terrorism, said Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter at the opening of an international counter-terrorism conference today.

BERN, 27 April 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter condemned the detention of a group of military inspectors from OSCE participating States and of their Ukrainian hosts in Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, and called for their release. One military inspector was set free today for health reasons, he confirmed. While this is a positive step, the OSCE continues to work at all levels – through the Special Monitoring Mission on the ground in Ukraine as well as through high-level political contacts – to assist for the release of all the detained persons, he said...

Western and Central Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well the southern part of the country, remained calm. The situation continued to be tense in Luhansk region and particularly tense in Donetsk region. The Special Monitoring Mission got confirmation that the military observers carrying out an inspection under the OSCE Vienna Document had been taken captive by forces of the self-proclaimed mayor of Sloviansk.

BELGRADE / TIRANA / PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 25 April 2014- Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, drew a positive conclusion from his two-day visit to the Western Balkans. In his meetings with high-level representatives of the authorities in Belgrade, Tirana and Prishtinë/Priština, he received strong backing for the engagement of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in the region...

Western and Central Ukraine, including Kiev, as well as many regions of the southern part of the country, were calm. In the regions neighbouring Donbas some tensions continued – they resulted either from the political polarization or fears of possible activities of armed opponents of the government. The situation continued to be tense in Luhansk and, in particular, Donetsk regions.

ASHGABAT, 25 April 2014 – Mechanisms to re-enforce the fight against corruption and money laundering were highlighted at a two-day training workshop organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, which ended in the capital today...