News and press releases

On the occasion of the Day of Journalists, 23 January, the Head of the OSCE to Montenegro, Maryse Daviet, congratulats journalists in the country...

KYIV / STANYTSIA LUHANSKA, 21 January 2019- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, today concluded a two-day visit to Ukraine. Rama called for strengthened efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis in and around Ukraine, which he cited as the most pressing challenge to the security and stability in Europe today...

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. A man was injured by an explosive device in non-government-controlled Zhovte. The Mission continued monitoring the security

Increasing the participation of women, national minorities and persons with disabilities at all stages of the electoral process is the focus of a conference taking place in Tirana on 21 and 22 January 2020...

Increasing the participation of women, national minorities and persons with disabilities at all stages of the electoral process is the focus of a conference taking place in Tirana on 21 and 22 January 2020. Key topics addressed are challenges and obstacles to the inclusion of these groups in

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

KYIV, 21 January 2020 – The OSCE today expanded its support to Ukraine in strengthening its response to the illicit trafficking of weapons, ammunition and explosives, with the launch of another two extra-budgetary projects. Some 50 representatives of Ukrainian governmental agencies and the donor community participated in the projects’ first Programme Governance Board meeting today in Kyiv, which marked the beginning of the OSCE’s multi-year assistance to the Ukrainian authorities in this area...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 17 and 18 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 18 and 19 January, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk

VIENNA, 20 January 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned today the violent attack against journalist Thomas Jacobi in Athens, Greece...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle flying over areas on the north-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city. The SMM saw weapons

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A man sustained injuries due to the explosion of a mine in non-government-controlled Pionerske, in Luhansk region. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near non-government-controlled Zaichenko, Donetsk region. The Mission continued

MINSK, 16 January 2020 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its working groups in Minsk today...

VIENNA, 16 January 2020 – Addressing the ambassadors of the 57 OSCE permanent delegations in Vienna today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli reiterated the PA’s support for the priorities of the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship and expressed appreciation for Chair-in-Office Edi Rama’s stated intention to further strengthening the Chairmanship’s work with parliamentarians. He also welcomed Sweden as a new member of the OSCE Troika and expressed his appreciation for Poland’s readiness to chair the organization in 2022...

VIENNA, 16 January 2020- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed yesterday’s decision by a court in Turkey to lift the ban on Wikipedia.

VIENNA, 15 January 2020 – Turkey will aim at enhancing the implementation of OSCE participating States’ existing commitments in the politico-military sphere and making the best use of established OSCE instruments, said Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sedat Önal, as he opened the country’s Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) in Vienna today...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. A boy and a man were injured due to the detonation of explosive devices in Miusynsk and Zalizne. The SMM saw an anti-aircraft gun being fired while near

OSLO, 15 January 2020 – Honoring the victims of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks in Utøya and Oslo requires working to ensure that this sort of horrific attack is never repeated, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli, Secretary General Roberto Montella and members of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) today wrapping up a visit to Norway...

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A man died in a grenade explosion in government-controlled Shevchenko. An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle spotted recent craters inside and near the disengagement area near

VIENNA, 13 January 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, received today from the President of Republic of Albania Ilir Meta’s Office explanatory documents on the reasons for the return to Parliament of the laws on Audiovisual Media and the Law on Electronic communication in the Republic of Albania...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 10 and 11 January, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 11 and 12 January, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission lost spatial control of a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Orikhove due to signal interference. The

WARSAW, 11 January 2020 – Eighteen years after the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) once more repeats its call for the closure of the camp and full compliance with international human rights standards, which are essential in order to counter terrorism effectively and sustainably.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the security situation at the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The Mission saw weapons in

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 10 January 2020 — The OSCE Mission in Kosovo launched today in Prishtinë/Priština a comprehensive overview of the situation of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in Kosovo.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw works at the checkpoint of the armed formations in the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM continued monitoring the security situation at

VIENNA, 9 January 2020 – Under the motto ‘Implementing our commitments together’, Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship 2020 will work towards making a difference on the ground, leveraging the Organization’s acquis, and enhancing dialogue, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Albania’s Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Edi Rama, in his address to the Permanent Council in Vienna today...

WARSAW, 9 January 2020 – While legal reforms regulating the appointment of Supreme Court judges in Georgia are an important step toward improving the independence of the judiciary, they fail to ensure an impartial process based on clearly defined and objective criteria without the influence of partisan politics, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in its second monitoring report, published today.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. It recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the disengagement area near Petrivske. The SMM continued monitoring the

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs).

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Inside the disengagement area near Zolote, the SMM saw a tailfin from a rocket-propelled grenade for the first time. The Mission continued monitoring the security

BAKU, 7 January 2020 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened its election observation mission (EOM) for the 9 February early parliamentary elections in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Azerbaijani authorities...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 3 and 4 January, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 4 and 5 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the security situation at the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. It saw a towed howitzer in

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 30 and 31 December 2019, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 31 December 2019 and 1 January 2020, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and

On 1 January 2020, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe launched a EUR 3.3 million project on the “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan”, funded within the framework of the European Union’s Foreign Policy Instrument. The 18-month project aims to increase the professional capability of the Tajik and Afghan Border Services in order to better tackle illicit activities in border areas.

Vienna/Tirana, 1 January 2020 – “Taking over the OSCE Chair is a truly historic moment for Albania: from a country under a cruel communist regime that opposed the Helsinki spirit, we have become one honored to lead this organization. Chairing the OSCE marks the highlight of our significant transformation,” said Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Edi Rama today as he assumed the post of Chairperson-in-Office of the regional security organization.

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw for the first time a camera and an antenna inside the disengagement area near Zolote. It continued monitoring the situation at the disengagement areas near

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe provided logistical support enabling Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoESCD) of the Shahritus district, in partnership with local government and the Water Management of Lower Kafirnigan basin, to clear 45,900 m3 of soil and other debris from flow channels in three rural villages of the Shahritus district in the Khatlon region. Over 620 households, schools and highways were secured.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 27 and 28 December, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 28 and 29 December, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro has supported the Forensic Centre of the Police Directorate in Danilovgrad since its inception in 2008, to receive accreditation as a fully-fledged member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutions. In 2017, the European Commission upgraded the forensic standard for criminal investigations, which requires re-training the forensic centre to meet the new standard in 2020.

KYIV, 29 December 2019 – Тhe Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made today the following statement:

Bratislava, 29 December 2019- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák welcomed today’s the release and exchange of conflict-related detainees in eastern Ukraine.

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw a tailfin from a mortar in the Zolote disengagement area and remnants of a rocket-propelled grenade in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. It saw a

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 23 and 24 December, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 24 and 25 December, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the situation at the three disengagement areas near Petrivske, Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska. The

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week. The ninety-fourth Russian convoy crossed into Ukraine and returned through the Donetsk BCP.

The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department Border Security and Management Unit (TNTD/BSMU) held a training course on the detection of forged documents and impostors in Ulaanbaatar from 16 to 20 December 2019. The event was organized in co-operation with the University of Internal Affairs of Mongolia and conducted by document experts of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior.