News and press releases

WARSAW, 11 September 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the release of prominent Azerbaijani journalist and media expert Mehman Aliyev...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 8 and 9 September compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 9 and 10 September the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. It followed up on a report of a casualty in Yasynuvata. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in non-government-controlled Michurine.* The Mission saw a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near government-controlled Mykolaivka. The SMM observed long queues at checkpoints on the contact line. It visited a border area outside government control in Luhansk region. It monitored gatherings in Lviv region connected to the announced return of Mikhail Saakashvili to Ukraine...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance, co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), enabling the SMM to pass along the M03 road between Svitlodarsk and Debaltseve. The Mission monitored and facilitated a transfer of funds from non-government to government-controlled areas in Luhansk region. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia and to the Artema-Petrivske pumping station. The SMM visited one border area not under government control.

CHISINAU, 8 September 2017 – The Special Representative of the Austrian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Ambassador Wolf Dietrich Heim, concluded today his fifth visit to the region...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it noted calm situations. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Metalist and Marinka.* An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Popasna. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the thermal power plant in Shchastia and a water well near Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints and at schools near the contact line on both sides. The Mission monitored three gatherings in Kyiv....

The importance and benefits of following up on recommendations from election observers was the focus of an expert meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 8 September 2017. The event was the first organized within the framework of a

A new project on managing wildfires in Chernobyl-affected areas, implemented by the OSCE in close co-operation with the Global Fire Monitoring Centre based in Freiburg, Germany, was launched on 7 September 2017 at an inaugural meeting in Kyiv...

Ergneti, 7 September 2017- On 7 September 2017, the 80th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti. Erik Hoeeg, Acting Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Guenther Baechler, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, co-facilitated the meeting....

From 3 to 6 September 2017, OSCE Senior Gender Adviser Amarsanaa Darisuren visited Ukraine, where she held meetings with government officials, including representatives of the ministries for foreign and internal affairs and social policy, to discuss key developments in gender equality in the country...

VIENNA, 7 September 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the release of Zhanbolat Mamay, acting Chief Editor of the newspaper Sayasi Kalam Tribuna in Kazakhstan, but voiced concern about the imposition of a ban on practicing the profession of journalism...

Women’s full and equal political participation, the role of political parties and the contribution of the women’s movement to women’s political empowerment were the focus of discussions during the International Forum on Women’s Political Empowerment in Budapest on 7 September 2017. The Forum was

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission again asked armed forces and formations about the recommitment to cease fire, as well as instructions on interaction with the SMM. 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 in Verkhnoshyrokivske, Novolaspa and Svitle.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Shymshynivka and Buhaivka. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the Horlivka-Toretsk pipeline and the thermal power plant in Shchastia. The Mission continued to monitor the situation at schools near the contact line on both sides. It visited two border areas not under government control. The SMM monitored two protests in Kyiv....

VIENNA, 7 September 2017 – The Independent Forensic Investigation (IFI) team today presented its report to the Permanent Council of the OSCE on the tragic incident of 23 April 2017, when an OSCE armoured vehicle was struck by an explosion resulting in the death of an OSCE paramedic. The IFI team was assembled and deployed by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission at the request of the OSCE...

MINSK, 7 September 2017 – 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 6 September 2017:...

An OSCE-supported regional conference on transboundary water co-operation in Central Asia took place on 7 September 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan... 

The OSCE Guidebook on Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP) was promoted on 6 September 2017 in Skopje, during a regional event which brought together some 50 representatives of the public security sector from South-Eastern European countries...

Twenty-one officers of the Tajik Border Troops and Afghan Border Police successfully completed a three-week training-of-trainers course on 6 September 2017 organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe...

KYIV, 6 September 2017 – The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, today called on the sides involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine to respect the freedom of movement of the OSCE SMM monitors...

PRAGUE, 6 September 2017 – Greening the economy and building partnerships and trust are the key to greater security and stability in the OSCE region, highlighted participants in the 25th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum which opened today in Prague...

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...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM again asked armed forces and formations about the recommitment to cease fire, as well as instructions on interaction with the SMM; the majority of the interlocutors told the SMM that they had received orders and were informed – in one case they showed such orders to the SMM and in another one they provided copies. 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.* It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the Horlivka-Toretsk pipeline, a water pipe near Novotoshkivske, the Petrivske pumping station near Artema, water pipes near Nyzhnie, and the thermal power plant in Shchastia. It continued to monitor the situation at schools near the contact line on both sides. The Mission visited two border areas not under government control...

VIENNA, 6 September 2017 – Serbia will strive to strengthen the OSCE’s focus on politico-military security through negotiations and consultations on military security and stability in the OSCE area, said the country’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić as he opened the first session of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) under Serbia’s Chairmanship today in Vienna...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM again asked armed forces and formations what orders or codes of conduct they had received following the recommitment to cease fire from 25 August, as well as instructions on interaction with the SMM. 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 at a heavy weapons holding area outside government control in Donetsk region.* The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Anadol. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the Horlivka-Toretsk pipeline and a water pipe near Novotoshkivske. It continued to monitor the start of the school year on both sides of the contact line. The Mission visited a border area not under government control. The SMM monitored two gatherings in Kyiv....

VIENNA, 5 September 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned the shooting of an Ohio news photographer by police...

BISHKEK, 5 September 2017 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission for the 15 October presidential election in Kyrgyzstan. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Kyrgyzstan authorities...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe handed over a set of documents including technical specification for the first phase of e-crime registration system to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan on 29 August 2017 for further implementation funded by the United States...

Twenty four officers from the Tajik Border Troops completed a one-week workshop in Dushanbe on 1 September 2017 on the usage of technical equipment for authenticity verification of security documents. The workshop was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 1 and 2 September compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 2 and 3 September the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM asked armed forces and formations what orders or codes of conduct they had received following the recommitment to cease fire from 25 August; none were able to produce copies of such orders or codes of conduct. 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 Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Stanytsia Luhanska. The Mission visited three border areas not under government control...

SARAJEVO, 4 September 2017 – The new Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Bruce G. Berton, assumed his duties in Sarajevo today...

VIENNA, 3 September 2017 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger condemned in the strongest terms the latest nuclear test in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of a fatality in Hirske. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and observed a calm situation. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Verkhnoshyrokivske and at a checkpoint in Yasynuvata.* It saw a mortar in violation of the withdrawal lines in Avdiivka. The SMM monitored the start of the school year on both sides of the contact line and observed a calm situation...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Novoazovsk.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia, Krasnyi Lyman, Vesela Hora and Zolote. The Mission spoke with teachers on both sides of the contact line ahead of the start of the school year. The SMM followed up on reports that a member of the Kharkiv Regional Council had been attacked...

PRAGUE, 1 September 2017 – The Summer School on Migration Studies, hosted by the Faculty of Science of the Charles University in Prague from 28 August to 1 September, in co-operation with the Office of the Co-ordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), concluded today in Prague....

Twenty-six women officials specialized in border security and management from Afghanistan and Tajikistan graduated from the Border Management Awareness Course at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) on 31 August 2017 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions, in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded a ceasefire violation near Stanytsia Luhanska. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Horlivka and Rozivka. A “DPR” member again prevented the SMM from flying its unmanned aerial vehicle over the Donetsk Filtration Station. Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of four self-propelled howitzers in violation of withdrawal lines near Ternove. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance to infrastructure in Vesela Hora, Shchastia and Krasnyi Lyman. The SMM visited a border area not under government control in Luhansk region. In Poltava region, the Mission monitored four public gatherings...

A four-day training retreat for civil society, social workers and lawyers working with ill-treatment victims concluded on 30 August 2017 in Bahoriston, Sughd region. A similar training was conducted in Nurek from 21 to 24 August 2017...

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek brought together thirty Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) alumni from five Central Asian states as well as Afghanistan and Mongolia. The CAYN 2017 Reboot Camp took place on 29 August- 1 September 2017 in Bulan-Soggotu village, Kyrgyzstan...

Five participants from the Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger in Vienna on 30 August 2017 and discussed security issues in Central Asia, the OSCE’s work and its comprehensive approach to security...

DUSHANBE, 31 August 2017- Twenty-six women officials specialized in border security and management from Afghanistan and Tajikistan graduated today from the Border Management Awareness Course at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

VIENNA, 31 August 2017- The OSCE is closing its Office in Yerevan today.

VIENNA, 30 August 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media today expressed his concern regarding the practice of detention and expulsion of foreign journalists from Ukraine.

France’s presidential election on 23 April and 7 May 2017 was conducted in a pluralistic and transparent manner, but certain aspects of the legal framework for elections could benefit from further review, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in its final report

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on information of a civilian injured by shelling in Lukove. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske, Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. Its access remains restricted there and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint in Novoazovsk. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Kremenivka, Sakhanka, and Bezimenne. The SMM also noted that a previously observed hand grenade and UXO close to civilian infrastructure near Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and Novohryhorivka, respectively, had been removed. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance to infrastructure in Zolote, Vesela Hora, Shchastia, and Krasnyi Lyman...

More than 70 school teachers and school administrative personnel took part in three training sessions on piloting teaching methods for a new school course “The basics of religious cultures”...

From 14 August to 28 August 2017 the Programme Office in Bishkek supported a series of training sessions on voter identification procedures and other election-related matters. Twenty-five master trainers, 186 trainers as well as 500 operators and maintenance specialists from all regions of Kyrgyzstan were trained in the effective operation of the voter identification system during the upcoming October presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan. Subsequently, the trained operators and maintenance specialists will instruct over 9,500 operators, who will be engaged in voter identification on Election Day...

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the Action against Terrorism Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department held a two-day expert meeting on establishing an Advance Passenger Information (API) system in the country, which took place in Bulan-Sogottu, Kyrgyzstan on 23 August and 24 August 2017. The expert meeting brought together more than 40 decision-makers involved in passenger information processing in the country, including border control and airport authorities, airlines, customs officers, and national security officers. It provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the functions and benefits of API in combating terrorism and transnational crime...

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 almost remained the same at both BCPs compared to the previous week. A Russian convoy of 28 vehicles crossed to Ukraine and returned to the Russian Federation...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations in the vicinity of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and it saw a grenade fixed to a fence in a passageway used by pedestrians on the south side of the bridge. Its access remains restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including again in Verkhnoshyrokivske and to a heavy weapons holding area not under government control. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Oleksandropil and Zelene Pole. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance to infrastructure in Zolote and Krasnyi Lyman. The Mission visited three border areas not under government control...

To improve the efficiency of the local administration and its services to Serbian citizens, some 1180 employees of 136 local self-government units from across Serbia completed an OSCE Mission-supported online course on the implementation of the new Law on General Administrative Procedure. The ceremony of awarding certificates took place on 29 August 2017 in Belgrade...

The last in a series of three OSCE-supported training seminars on monitoring of children's institutions for participants of National Preventive Mechanism for Preventing Torture and Ill-treatment (NPM) concluded on 29 August 2017 in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan...