News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Joint Statement by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries
Publishing date: 5 December 2019
BRATISLAVA, 5 December 2019 – On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Bratislava, we, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Secretary of State to the Minister for European and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs of the United States Phil Reeker) remain strongly committed to mediating a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict...
OSCE Chair Lajčák appoints Heidi Grau as Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group
Publishing date: 5 December 2019
BRATISLAVA, 5 December 2019- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák today announced the appointment of Ambassador Heidi Grau of Switzerland as the OSCE Chairperson’s Special Representative in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group. Ambassador Grau succeeds Ambassador Martin Sajdik, whom the OSCE Chair thanked for his dedication and important work, which included concrete achievements towards the full implementation of the Minsk agreements...
Effective multilateralism can support conflict resolution and prevention, build a safer future for people, OSCE Chair Lajčák tells Ministerial Council
Publishing date: 5 December 2019
BRATISLAVA, 5 December 2019 – States must do more to work together through effective multilateralism to support the resolution and prevention – and mitigate the humanitarian impact- of conflict, and build a safer future for all people, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák in his opening address to the 26th OSCE Ministerial Council today in Bratislava...
Spot Report by OSCE Observer Mission: 92nd Russian convoy of ten vehicles crossed into Ukraine and returned through the Donetsk Border Crossing Point
Publishing date: 5 December 2019
On 5 December at 06:20 (Moscow time), the ninety-second[1] Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of ten vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All ten vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 12:35 on 5 December...
OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Daily Report 288/2019 issued on 5 December 2019
Publishing date: 5 December 2019
Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region. The SMM observed a team of deminers from non-government-controlled areas on the eastern edge of the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission
OSCE Chair Lajčák kicks off 26th Ministerial Council with his ‘Bratislava Appeal’; calls for increased flexibility and willingness to compromise
Publishing date: 5 December 2019
BRATISLAVA, 5 December 2019 – Ahead of the official opening of the 26th Ministerial Council this morning, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister, Miroslav Lajčák, shared his ‘Bratislava Appeal’...
Addressing OSCE PA Bureau Meeting ahead of Bratislava Ministerial Council, Chair’s Special Representative stresses importance of parliamentarians in increasing understanding on OSCE’s work
Publishing date: 4 December 2019
Ahead of the official start of the OSCE’s 26th Ministerial Council, the Bureau of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) met in Bratislava on 4 December 2019 to discuss their work over the course of the year. Bureau members heard from Assembly President George Tsereteli, Treasurer Peter Juel-Jensen, OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, and Lukas Parizek, Special Representative for the OSCE Chairmanship and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia...