News and press releases

An OSCE-supported two-day roundtable discussion on the possible application of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) under the Espoo Convention Protocol in Kazakhstan concluded on 16 November 2017 in Astana.

MINSK, 15 November 2017 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Martin Sajdik, delivered the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 15 November 2017:

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere.* The SMM observed weapons in violations of the withdrawal lines near Berestove and Orlivka. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia and Artema, and near Zalizne, Stanytsia Luhanska and Vesela Hora. It visited two border areas not under government control...

SKOPJE, 15 November 2017- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, during his visit to Skopje today, commended several positive media reforms while underlining the need to improve the general media situation in the county.

The civic and political participation of migrants was the focus of an expert roundtable meeting held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for 40 participants from 14 OSCE participating States in Brussels on 14 and 15 November 2017.

TIRANA, 15 November 2017- Representing the 2017 OSCE Chairmanship, Austrian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Linhart visited Tirana today, highlighting the pivotal role the OSCE Presence in Albania plays in supporting the country’s reform process...

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...

A workshop for canine officers and veterinarians on using service dogs to ensure border security in Turkmenistan, organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, concluded on 13 November 2017 near Ashgabat.

Raising awareness about hate crimes among students was the focus of a one-day workshop for students from the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Montenegro that organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the University and held on 14 November 2017.

A three-day training course aimed at enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to conduct investigative interviews concluded on 15 November 2017 in the Gissar district of Tajikistan. The event was organized and conducted by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Marinka. It observed a fresh impact site in Popasna. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Novolaspa.* The SMM observed weapons in violations of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia and Dovhe, and near Zalizne, Novozvanivka, and Vesela Hora. It visited a border area not under government control...

VIENNA, 14 November 2017 – Developing effective co-operation to address the threat of terrorism has been the focus of a two-day visit to Vienna by members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism. Committee members met with officials from the United Nations and the OSCE’s executive structures to learn about their efforts and promote a stronger parliamentary perspective in counter-terrorism work.

More than 50 representatives of law enforcement agencies and other ministries from France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan well as experts from nine international organizations gathered in Tashkent on 13 and 14 November 2017 to discuss greater co-operation among law enforcement agencies in combating the threat of illicit drugs, including New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), facilitated by the Internet and the “Darknet”...

ASHGABAT, 14 November 2017- International standards and best practices in the field of waste management were the focus of an OSCE-supported regional seminar that concluded in Ashgabat today. The seminar was attended by international experts and representatives of relevant governmental authorities in Central Asia, academia, NGOs and the business sector.

GRAZ, Austria, 14 November 2017 – Access to justice for persons belonging to national minorities from a conflict prevention perspective is the focus of a new set of recommendations for OSCE participating States, which were launched by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier today at the University of Graz, Austria...

PODGORICA, 14 November 2017 – Austria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Linhart, representing the 2017 OSCE Chairmanship, visited Montenegro today, stressing the importance of close co-operation and strategic partnership between the country’s authorities and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) joined with other global and regional intergovernmental human rights organizations in calling for greater efforts to ensure inclusive education, in a statement on 13 November 2017 marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region between the evenings of 10 and 11 November compared with the previous reporting period and fewer between the evenings of 11 and 12 November compared with the previous 24 hours. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations between the evenings of 10 and 11 November compared with the previous reporting period but more between the evenings of 11 and 12 November compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission observed damage to civilian properties from shelling in residential areas in Pikuzy. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including to a compound in Kadiivka, and in Siedove near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Novozvanivka, Artema and Zalizne. It visited three border areas not under government control. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a march...

TBILISI, 13 November 2017 – The 12 November mayoral run-off elections in six Georgian districts were well administered, candidates were able to compete freely and fundamental rights were generally respected in a shortened, low-key campaign, the election observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary statement released today. At the same time, shortcomings in the process highlighted the need for improvements to the laws governing elections, the statement says...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it heard small-arms fire near the area where it was flying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near the Petrivske disengagement area, assessed as aimed at the UAV*, and spotted military presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area, as well as previously seen mines. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Horlivka and at five heavy weapons holding areas.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Dovhe, Marianivka and Novooleksandrivka. The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Shchastia, Novozvanivka, Stanytsia Luhanska and Zalizne. It visited a border area not under government control...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of persons injured and killed from the explosion of hand grenades in Khartsyzk and Makiivka, and observed damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Sakhanka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at two permanent storage sites, a heavy weapons holding area, and a compound, all in areas outside government control.* It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Shchastia, Novozvanivka, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka, Artema, and Zalizne...

VICENZA, Italy, 10 November 2017 – Practical measures to combat the illicit cross-border trafficking in cultural property in the Mediterranean Region was the focus of a five-day seminar, which concluded in Vicenza today. The seminar was designed to build the capacity of some 22 participants from national services of thirteen OSCE participating States and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, and of Lebanon...

An OSCE-led roundtable discussion for 30 experts and representatives of law enforcement agencies from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine, on best practices in combating corruption and other related serious crimes concluded today in Kyiv.

SKOPJE, 10 November 2017 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Lamberto Zannier presented the first ever children’s illustrated Macedonian-Albanian/Albanian-Macedonian dictionary for primary schools to Education Minister Renata Deskoska in Skopje today. This innovative tool was developed by the HCNM and the Nansen Dialogue Centre, Skopje, and supported financially by the German government...

Civil society organizations from the left bank (Transdniestria) and donors gathered for this year’s Donors Forum organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova in Chisinau on 8 November 2017 to reflect on the work that they have accomplished together as well as lay out plans for the future...

A five-day train-the-trainer course on human rights education for activists from different Tajik civil society organizations concluded at the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on 10 November 2017.

An OSCE-supported three-day training seminar on risk profiling at transport facilities for 15 transport police officers from across Kazakhstan and 13 instructors of the Aktobe Law Institute under the country’s Interior Ministry concluded in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, on 10 November 2017. The seminar aimed at enhancing the capacities of Kazakhstan’s police to ensure public safety...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. In Pikuzy, a man in military-style clothing fired shots in the air within 50m of the Mission. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Kreminets and at two heavy weapons holding areas.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Sievierodonetsk. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Shchastia, Novozvanivka, Artema, and Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM visited a border area not under government control. It continued to monitor a gathering outside the Parliament in Kyiv...

VIENNA, 9 November 2017 – Violence and threats against journalists are on the rise in large parts of the OSCE region, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir stated today in his report to the OSCE Permanent Council. The report took place on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media by OSCE participating States...

KYIV, 9 November 2017 – The plight of the civilian population of eastern Ukraine, especially now with the onset of winter, demands immediate attention and action, said Ertugrul Apakan, the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), today in Kyiv...

COPENHAGEN, 9 November 2017 – Following last month’s legislative elections and the formation of a new Parliament in Vienna, Austrian parliamentarian Christine Muttonen stepped down today as OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President. As the most senior Vice-President of the Assembly, Georgian parliamentarian George Tsereteli took over as President...

DUSHANBE, 9 November 2017 – An agreement to establish a Regional Explosive Hazards Training Centre at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence was signed in Dushanbe today by Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, and Lieutenant General Sherali Mirzo, Tajikistan’s Minister of Defence.

Respecting and promoting the use of the official languages is critical to meaningful integration and the building of a sustainable multi-ethnic society, said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Lamberto Zannier at the “Forum on Language Compliance in Kosovo” held in Prishtinë/Priština on 9 November 2017...

Initiatives to facilitate increased representation of persons with disabilities in political party structures across Europe and the broader OSCE region were the focus of a meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Brussels on 8 November 2017. The meeting, at the European Parliament, was organized in co-operation with the Parliament’s Disability Intergroup and the European Disability Forum.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Khrustalnyi.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi. The SMM followed up on reports that the electricity supply had been cut to a pumping station causing water shortages in parts of Luhansk region. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure to power lines near Novozvanivka, to the power plant in Shchastia and to the water pipeline between Zolote and Popasna. The Mission visited a border crossing area not under government control. It monitored a gathering of some 2,000 people outside the Parliament in Kyiv...

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...

An OSCE-supported two-day workshop on customs administration procedures with a focus on goods crossing the territory of the Customs Union concluded on 8 November 2017 in Astana.

SKOPJE, 8 November 2017- A whole-of-society approach to preventing and combating violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism is the focus of a tabletop exercise taking place in Skopje from 7 to 9 November, organized jointly by the OSCE Mission to Skopje, the United States Embassy and the Partnership for Peace Consortium, in co-operation with the Office of the National Committee for Countering Violent Extremism and the Fight against Terrorism.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission confirmed five civilian casualties from Donetsk city, including one fatality. It observed multiple impact sites near civilian residences in the Kyivskyi district of Donetsk city, assessed as caused by artillery rounds, and to essential infrastructure at the Donetsk Filtration Station and a water reservoir near Yasynuvata, including damage assessed as caused by a rocket from a multiple launch rocket system. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas, its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including at a heavy weapons holding area and in Vasylivka.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Oleksandropil, Khriashchuvate and Novoamvrosiivske. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to high-voltage lines near Novozvanivka, and a water pipeline near Zolote and Popasna.

LJUBLJANA, 7 November 2017 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on South East Europe, Slovenian parliamentarian Roberto Battelli, spoke today at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 96th Rose-Roth seminar on the Western Balkans in Ljubljana, Slovenia...

Fostering regional dialogue through youth connectivity between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while also promoting youth resilience to security risks in local communities was the focus of a youth intercultural camp held in Kopanik, Serbia, from 3 to 7 November 2017...

A week-long workshop on the electronic exchange of customs information concluded on 3 November 2017 in Dushanbe. The workshop, organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, was attended by ten officers of the Customs Service of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and fifteen officers of the Customs Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro, together with the OSCE Mission to Skopje, organized a first working meeting between the institutions of Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in charge of drafting a protocol on co-operation between the two countries in the fight against human trafficking. The meeting was held from 30 October to 1 November 2017 in Skopje...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region between the evenings of 3 and 4 November compared with the previous 24 hours. Between the evenings of 4 and 5 November, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations – including, however, an outgoing salvo of a multiple launch rocket system south-south-west of Horlivka – in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. It followed up on a report of a civilian casualty in the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district and observed damage to civilian residences from shelling and gunfire in Staromykhailivka and Pryshyb. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Kurakhove. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to essential infrastructure near Artema and Novozvanivka. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians walking across the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. It visited four border areas not under government control...

An intensive training course on online media and the use of social networks was held by the OSCE Presence in Albania in close co-operation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for 15 journalists and editors of the Albanian public broadcaster, RTSH, from 31 October to 2 November at the premises of RTSH in Tirana.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported the local branch of the Regional Youth Co-operation Office of the Western Balkans (RYCO) on 1 November 2017 in bringing together representatives from more than 40 NGOs at the premises of the Youth Centre in Podgorica...

Experts on political parties from across the OSCE region took part in a meeting on political party regulation organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 2 and 3 November 2017. The meeting was followed by a roundtable discussion on 4 November

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including Markyne. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to essential infrastructure near Marinka. The Mission visited a border area not under government control...

KYIV, 4 November 2017 - The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, issued today the following statement...

VIENNA/CHISINAU, 3 November 2017 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Ambassador Wolf Dietrich Heim, today welcomed the decision by the sides on opening the Gura Bicului-Bychok bridge in Moldova. The bridge connects both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River and has not been in operation since the 1992 conflict...