News and press releases

A two-day train-the-trainer course on countering terrorist financing for participants from Albania was held on 2 and 3 September 2019 at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna...

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...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 30 and 31 August, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 31 August and 1 September, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both

Tokyo, 2 September 2019 – Speaker after speaker reconfirmed that strengthening co-operation between OSCE participating States and its Asian Partners for Co-operation is key to achieving comprehensive security in the digital era at today’s opening of the 20th Asian Conference in Japan.

A five-day awareness raising workshop on combating illicit cross-border trafficking in cultural property concluded on 30 August 2019 in Ulaanbaatar. More than 40 participants from the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Mongolia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand took part in the event. They represented police, border and customs services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports as well as other entities such as anti-corruption agencies and academia.

A five-day training course aimed at strengthening the capacity of Kyrgyzstan to counter terrorist financing concluded in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan on 31 August 2019. It was organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)...

On 1 September, an SMM patrol consisting of five people and two armoured vehicles was conducting an impact site assessment on Akhmatovoi Street in the north-eastern part of Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol). Three members of the armed formations as well as two cameramen were also present.

• 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 (UAV) near non-government-controlled Tavrycheske. • The SMM saw that the former forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and of the armed formations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area continued to be dismantled. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the disengagement area Zolote and observed military hardware inside the Petrivske disengagement area. • The SMM saw a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled Mariupol.

VIENNA, 31 August 2019 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, strongly condemned today the shooting of the journalist, Levent Uysal, in Balıkesir, Turkey.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM saw that the former forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and of the armed formations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area continued to be dismantled. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the disengagement area near Zolote. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. • It monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

An OSCE-organized training course in the interpretation of x-ray images for 20 customs and transport police officers working at aviation checkpoints took place in Ashgabat from 19 to 30 August 2019...

KYIV, 29 August 2019 – The 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:

Henrik Villadsen, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) and Kostiantyn Vashchenko, the Head of the National Agency of Civil Service of Ukraine, signed a memorandum of understanding to promote wider use of conflict management approaches in public service. The signing ceremony took place on 29 August 2019 at a ceremony in Kyiv

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw fresh damage from gunfire to a Culture House in non-government-controlled Holubivske. • The SMM saw that the former forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and of the armed formations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area continued to be dismantled. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the disengagement area near Zolote. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Verkhnoshyrokivske, and at a heavy weapons holding area in government-controlled areas of Luhansk region...

ERGNETI, 29 August 2019- The 95th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Erik Høeg, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Rudolf Michalka, Special Representative for the South Caucasus of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, on 29 August 2019...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported the Regional Youth Co-operation Office (RYCO) in developing a regional training programme from 26 to 28 August 2019 in Podgorica.

A three-day training seminar on anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing concluded on 29 August 2019 in Nur-Sultan. Some 50 government officials from law-enforcement agencies and the judiciary took part in the event...

VIENNA, 28 August 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed today’s court ruling in Ukraine to release from pre-trial detention journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, the chief of the RIA Novosti Ukraina office in Kyiv...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw that the former forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and of the armed formations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area continued to be dismantled. • An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted a surface-to-air missile system in violation of withdrawal lines near non-government-controlled Chystoe Ozero. • The Mission saw anti-tank mines for the first time near civilian houses in government-controlled Pisky. • An SMM long-range UAV spotted a train in non-government-controlled Khartsyzk. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Nova Marivka...

BRATISLAVA / BRUSSELS / GENEVA, 28 August 2019- The recent developments in the Gugutiantkari area have raised tensions on the ground and have humanitarian consequences for the local people.

VIENNA, 28 August 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today regarding the recent detentions of several journalists in Turkey, following public demonstrations in different Turkish cities after the removal of several mayors in south-east Turkey...

An interactive three-day Training-of-Trainers (ToT) course on mainstreaming gender in border security, organized by the OSCE’s Border Security and Management Unit of the Transnational Threats Department, concluded on 28 August 2019 in Vienna...

Officials from the OSCE, the Government of Tajikistan and civil society representatives met on 23 August 2019 to discuss their joint activities for 2020.

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw that the former forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and of the armed formations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area continued to be dismantled. • It observed ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. • The SMM spotted a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near residential houses in government-controlled Chabanivka. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled Bezimenne and Zaichenko.

COPENHAGEN, 27 August 2019 – With wildfires sweeping across large swaths of the Arctic region and the Amazon rainforest, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly leaders are calling for both emergency short-term responses and increased long-term attention to addressing the planet’s environmental challenges, including curbing climate change and protecting biodiversity...

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...

In order to support media in Montenegro to improve their convergent reporting skills, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro is organizing ten-day in-house training courses for six media outlets from 22 to 31 August 2019 in Podgorica...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 23 and 24 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • Between the evenings of 24 and 25 August, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. • The SMM saw that the former forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and of the armed formations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area continued to be dismantled. • The Mission spotted a weapon in violation of the withdrawal line in government-controlled Avdiivka. • The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. • The Mission monitored public gatherings on the occasion of National Flag Day and Ukrainian Independence Day in various cities. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske...

A three-day national table-top exercise (TTX) on preventing and countering the use of the internet for terrorist purposes, for some 30 Kyrgyz representatives from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, including representatives of government, law enforcement, civil society, media, academia and the private sector, began on 25 August 2019 in Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw damage to a farm near Novoluhanske. • On 23 August, it saw members of the armed formations taking down a wall at their former forward position and personnel from the State Emergency Services of Ukraine cutting trees and branches inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. • The SMM spotted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near government-controlled Raihorodka and non-government-controlled Ternove. • It saw new anti-tank mines south of the bridge in Shchastia. • An SMM long-range UAV spotted a cargo train heading south-west as well as a cargo train probably loaded with coal in Kumshatske.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and fewer in Luhansk region. • The Mission continued to monitor the situation in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near non-government-controlled Bile. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs to a phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • The Mission continued to monitor the situation in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs to a phenol sludge reservoir. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske and Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the European Union Force in BiH (EUFOR) jointly organized a training workshop for Armed Forces of BiH on the management of weapons and ammunition storage from 20 to 22 August 2019. The event took place at the Laboratory for the Chemical and Thermal Analysis of Ammunition, which is situated in the Technical Workshop for Repair and Destruction of Ammunition (TROM) in Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

The 11th annual OSCE regional workshop “Explosive Hazards Reduction and Response: Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IEDs)” is taking place in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan 18-23 August, 2019. The five-day event brought together over thirty international experts to discuss recent developments in national, regional, and global C-IEDs strategies. The workshop was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in close co-operation with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan...

MINSK, 21 August 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its working groups in Minsk on 21 August 2019:

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. • A man was injured by a mine explosion near government-controlled Illienko in Luhansk region. • Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Luhansk city. • The SMM continued to monitor the situation in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. • It saw a fortified position and trenches of the armed formations near Novooleksandrivka. • The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs to a phenol sludge reservoir. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region.

WARSAW, 22 August 2019 – Amid increasingly violent outbreaks of religious intolerance, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) welcomes the first-ever United Nations International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion today, and calls on governments to promote the interfaith dialogue and education needed to combat hatred and violence.

Following the presidential election in North Macedonia on 21 April and 5 May 2019, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published its final report. The election was overall well-administered, despite some technical challenges. Voters were able to make an informed

A three-day national tabletop exercise on the topic of countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes started in Dushanbe on 21 August 2019.

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • A man was injured due to gunfire in Zaitseve. • Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicles near Pervomaisk and Smile. • The SMM continued to monitor the situation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near government-controlled Yasnobrodivka and non-government-controlled Ternove. • The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs to a phenol sludge reservoir. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske.

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.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 16 and 17 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Between the evenings of 17 and 18 August, the Mission recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. • The SMM continued to monitor the situation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside of the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. • It saw self-propelled howitzers in violation of withdrawal lines near Mariupol. • The SMM saw unexploded ordnance near Popasna, Novohryhorivka, Verkhnoshyrokivske, and Shyrokyne. • The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of essential civilian infrastructure at the Donetsk Filtration Station and the pumping station near Vasylivka. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near Kreminets where members of the armed formations behaved aggressively towards the Mission.

COPENHAGEN, 19 August 2019 – Marking World Humanitarian Day, which this year is dedicated to honoring the work of women, the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions today highlighted women’s contributions to promoting human rights in the OSCE area.

Twenty young people from Tajikistan, 14 women and six men, nominated by registered political parties in Tajikistan, participated in the summer school “Youth for Gender Equality" from 12 to 17 August 2019 in the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • The SMM continued observing demining activities inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs to gas pipelines, power lines, and the drilling of the water wells. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • A man from Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district was injured from shrapnel in April. • Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle near government-controlled Zolote-4/Rodina. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled Zernove. • The SMM saw a new trench near the Donetsk Filtration Station. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission again saw small-arms fire damage to a school in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. It also saw damage from gunfire at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk. • Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle near government-controlled Paraskoviivka. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, including multiple launch rocket systems. • The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske and at a heavy weapons holding area in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. • Residential houses were damaged by mortar fire in Verkhnoshyrokivske. • Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) near government-controlled Hnutove and Talakivka and non-government-controlled Obozne; near Obozne, the SMM mini-UAV was lost. • The SMM observed that demining works continued inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area; it saw, for the first time, a golf cart transporting people from the entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska to the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. It also recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area.

VIENNA, 14 August 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today over the closure of the TV channel Aprel in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and called for respect for diversity in the media...

To support media outlets in moderating online comments, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized in Podgorica a six-day training course for five media outlets from Montenegro from 12 to 17 August 2019 in Podgorica...