News and press releases

The OSCE Mission, in cooperation with the Press Council and the Radio Television of Kosovo, is starting this evening a series of eight TV programs on media and information literacy titled “EduMedia.”

Thirteen representatives from six NGOs, working in different regions of Belarus, received practical training and exchanged experiences with Serbian experts on women’s empowerment during a workshop from 28 to 30 May 2018 in Belgrade. The main focus of the training was to provide hands-on tools and approaches to establish mentor networks for women, in order to enhance their economic participation. The event was organized by the OSCE Gender Section.

VIENNA, 30 May 2018 – In a special session to mark the 100th year since the end of the First World War, the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), meeting today in Vienna under Slovenia’s Chairmanship, explored the impact of the so-called “Great War” and the lessons it holds for modern international relations and European security.

ROME, 30 May 2018 – All aspects of the “package of eight” will be finalized by the end of the year: this was the historic outcome of the 5+2 talks on the Transdniestrian settlement process held in Rome on 29 and 30 May under the Italian OSCE Chairmanship. The commitment is reflected in the Rome Protocol signed by the Sides, mediators and observers. The Protocol outlines clear timelines and mechanisms to ensure the rapid finalization of the outstanding issues from the “package of eight” priorities identified by the Sides in 2017.

On 29 May 2018 in Podgorica the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized the first in a series of training courses on hate crime for around 30 judges and prosecutors from across Montenegro. The event was organized in co-operation with the the Centre for Training in Judiciary and State Prosecution.

Latest update: Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, who was reportedly killed in Kyiv, is alive and well. According to Ukrainian authorities, the incident was part of an ongoing investigation. VIENNA, 29 May 2018 – OSCE media freedom representative Harlem Désir today strongly condemned the murder of well-known Russian journalist and writer Arkadiy Babchenko in Kyiv, Ukraine...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Myrnohrad, Pivdenne and Horlivka. The Mission observed damage as a result of shelling near Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Buhaivka. It continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station and repair works and demining activities in order to keep the station operational; it heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to high-voltage power lines near Almazna, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Veselohorivka. In Kharkiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation.