News and press releases

TBILISI, 30 June 2016 – Held under the theme “25 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Trust Through Dialogue,” the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2016 Annual Session will begin Friday in Tbilisi, Georgia, with keynote speeches by Georgian Speaker of Parliament David Usupashvili, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland), and OSCE Chairman-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier...

YEREVAN, 30 June 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the premises of the OSCE Office in Yerevan on 30 June to discuss its work and activities and to meet with civil society representatives, while in Armenia as part of his official visit to the three countries of the South Caucasus...

ULAANBAATAR, 30 June 2016 – Election day was orderly and followed a competitive campaign. This, however, did not offset the impact of late fundamental changes to election laws on Mongolia’s democratic development, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. While the June 29 parliamentary elections were highly contested and freedoms of assembly and association were respected, restrictive campaign provisions, coupled with the media’s subservience to political interests, limited impartial and comprehensive information available to voters, the statement says...

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with most of the fighting recorded in Avdiivka and Svitlodarsk. In Luhansk region the SMM continued to note a calm situation with two single shots of small-arms fire recorded. It monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable recovery of the bodies of “DPR” members in Sakhanka. The SMM conducted crater analysis in Donetsk, Dokuchaievsk and Rumiantseve. It continued to observe the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. It facilitated repairs to essential infrastructure in Trokhizbenka, near Gagarin mine, Krasnyi Lyman, and in Pryshyb. It observed the presence of explosive remnants of war. The SMM did not encounter any specific restrictions to its freedom of movement...

The annual Best Women Entrepreneur for 2016 Award ceremony was held in Yerevan on 29 June 2016 under the auspices of the Armenian Prime Minister. The award aims to inspire women entrepreneurs’ creativity in economic development and to highlight their achievements...

DUSHANBE, 29 June 2016 – Copies of the new Manual on Countering Domestic Violence, published by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, were presented today to the Interior Ministry for further distribution among police inspectors dealing with cases related to this crime...

BERLIN, 29 June 2016 – Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter-Steinmeier today departs on a three-day visit to the South Caucasus region, and will travel to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia...