News and press releases

DUSHANBE, 20 January 2015 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 1 March parliamentary elections in the Republic of Tajikistan. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Tajikistan authorities...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM heard many instances of heavy artillery fire in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Marches were held in many cities across the country commemorating the civilians who died in Volnovakha. An SMM convoy was prevented from travelling through Luhansk, with shots fired above SMM vehicles. In Odesa, the SMM visited the site of a bomb explosion...

BISHKEK, 19 January 2015- The OSCE Centre in Bishkek is supporting a visit to the country by the monitoring mission of the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), from 19 to 23 January 2015...

A six-day multimedia workshop for journalists was held at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in Dushanbe on 17 January 2015 in preparation for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Tajikistan on 1 March...

BELGRADE, 18 January 2015 – Following the severe and increased deterioration of the situation over recent days in the east of Ukraine, in particular at and around Donetsk Airport, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today strongly condemned the use of force, expressed his utmost concern and urged all sides in Ukraine to use maximum restraint and work towards achieving a sustainable ceasefire.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM observed a large number of ceasefire violations in the Donetsk region. The SMM conducted its third visit to the site of the incident causing the deaths of civilians on a bus in Volnovakha.

COPENHAGEN, 17 January 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Spencer Oliver met today with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tamar Beruchashvili, Parliament Chairperson David Usupashvili and other high-ranking government and parliamentary officials in Tbilisi for discussions that focused on recent political and security developments in the country and region...

VIENNA, 17 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the arrest of journalist Tomislav Kezarovski, following a two years prison sentence by the Skopje Court of Appeal.

KYIV, 16 January, 2015 – In response to media reports, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine reaffirms that no participating States have withdrawn their monitors from the Mission in Ukraine.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The JCCC and “DPR” leadership agreed a special joint inquiry into the incident causing the deaths of civilians on a bus in Volnovakha. A number of ceasefire violations and military movements were observed by the SMM in Donetsk and Luhansk region. The SMM was unable to patrol the Donetsk airport. Shots were fired in the direction of the SMM in Chermalyk...

VIENNA, 16 January 2015 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić discussed with the Heads of the OSCE Field Operations and Institutions yesterday in Vienna the key issues in the OSCE region in 2015.

VIENNA/KYIV, 15 January 2015- As a follow-up to the meeting of the four Ministers of Foreign Affairs in the “Normandy format” of 12 January 2015 in Berlin, the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), consisting of senior representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, met today in Kyiv in preparation for the planned consultations of the TCG with representatives of certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Minsk...

DONETSK, 15 January 2015- Today, for the second day in a row, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) has attempted to reach Donetsk airport to establish the facts on the ground. In the afternoon, the SMM made two attempts and managed to reach an area close to the airport. The SMM witnessed substantial damage to civilian infrastructure and residences caused by artillery. Regrettably, the SMM could not venture further into the airport itself as shelling, counter-shelling and small arms fire in and around the airport was ongoing...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) gathered imagery and video data of shell impact craters at Volnovakha where a bus was hit on 13 January...

VIENNA, 15 January 2015 – The OSCE’S 57 participating States today, at the first meeting of the Permanent Council of the year, adopted a declaration condemning last week’s terrorist attacks in France, emphasizing that terrorism can never be justified, that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, and that States continue to work to foster tolerance in their societies...

COPENHAGEN, 15 January 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) today welcomed the 2015 Serbian Chairmanship of the OSCE and pledged the Assembly’s support for its focus on resolving the conflict in Ukraine and other goals...

VIENNA, 15 January 2015 – Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today outlined priorities for the 2015 Serbian Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe at the first Permanent Council meeting of the year in Vienna. He pledged to seize the opportunity given by the 57 participating States to rebuild trust and confidence in order to create a positive agenda for the future, according to the motto of the Serbia Chairmanship...

VIENNA, 15 January 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said the decision not requiring New York Times reporter James Risen to testify at a trial was a victory for investigative journalism and the protection of confidential sources...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). A Grad rocket exploded near a civilian bus at a Ukrainian Army Checkpoint near Volnovakha, killing 12 civilians and injuring 17...

At approximately 14:35hrs on 13 January the regional traffic police confirmed to the SMM that a Grad rocket struck close to a civilian bus when it stopped at a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint approximately 2km north of Volnovakha (35km south-west of Donetsk)...

Representatives of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, on 25 December 2014, handed over to the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine a series of informative posters and training materials on enhancing environmental controls at border crossings...

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both BCPs. Overall cross-border traffic flows decreased significantly at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The OM continued to observe a number of persons in military-style clothing crossing the border in both directions. Train movements at the Gukovo BCP have significantly decreased in frequency. Delay in issuing this report was due to the winter holiday period in the Russian Federation (RF)...

BELGRADE, 14 January 2015 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s Foreign Minister IvicaDačič today strongly condemned yesterday’s deadly incident in which several people were killed and wounded on a bus at(near) a government-controlled checkpoint in Buhas, eastern Ukraine...

COPENHAGEN, 14 January 2015 – The attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris last week that followed the rampage at the offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo is a sign of the increasing virulence of anti-Semitism in Europe and points to the urgent need to combat this scourge, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) said today...

KYIV, 13 January 2015- The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, today called upon all sides to exercise maximum restraint in eastern Ukraine...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). According to the JCCC a significant increase of ceasefire violations was witnessed.

Ambassador Jonathan Moore, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, met on 12 January 2015 in Trnovo, near Velika Kladusa, Imam Selvedin Beganovic of Trnovi to convey his strong support and respect for the Imam’s commitment to his faith and his clear message in favour of tolerance and against extremism. Moore discussed the recent attacks and threats against Imam Beganovic...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM witnessed multiple instances of both incoming and outgoing shelling in areas of Donetsk city adjacent to the airport. The JCCC recorded a marked increase in reported ceasefire violations...

BELGRADE, 12 January 2015- Ivica Dačić, Serbian Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, and his Troika partners Didier Burkhalter and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the respective foreign ministers of Switzerland and Germany, announced today that the composition of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project was now established. They expressed their appreciation for the commitment and engagement of the 15 distinguished individuals who have accepted their invitation to sit on the Panel. They also thanked Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger for agreeing to chair the Panel...

PARIS, 11 January 2015 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today paid his respects to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris, at a unity rally in Paris upon the invitation of French President Francois Hollande.

PARIS, 11 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today joined the unity rally held in Paris for the victims of this week’s attack and for freedom of expression.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The JCCC reported an increased number of ceasefire violations, the majority occurring in and around the Donetsk airport.

BISHKEK, 10 January 2015 – The World Press Photo traveling exhibition, gathering 140 pictures by the winners of the prestigious 57th World Press Photo contest, is being held from 10 to 22 January 2015 at the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts “Gapar Aitiev” in Bishkek.

On 08 January 2015 at 08:30 (Moscow time), a Russian convoy consisting of 62 vehicles arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). Cargo trucks were inspected by the Russian border guard and customs services. All the vehicles crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF) at 03:28 on January 09. This was the twelfth Russian convoy crossing through the Donetsk BCP since the arrival of the Observer Mission (OM) at the Russian BCPs.

BELGRADE, 9 January 2015- Following consultations of senior representatives of four Ministries of Foreign Affairs within the so-called Normandy format of 5 January 2015 in Berlin, and anticipating the possibility of discussions on the conflict in eastern Ukraine at a planned summit meeting in Astana on 15-16 January 2015, the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), consisting of senior representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, met on 8 and 9 January, and held another round of consultations with representatives of the certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the form of a video-conference on 9 January 2015.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). There was an increased number of ceasefire violations recorded by the JCCC, mostly in and around Donetsk airport.

VIENNA, 9 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today acknowledged a new law in Turkmenistan that could allow for more Internet access but raised concerns about restrictions in the measure...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC).Continued ceasefire violations were recorded by the JCCC in Donetsk, many in the area of the airport...

The world is mourning the horrific terrorist attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people were murdered and several people wounded. Ten of the victims were Charlie Hebdo staff. This is the worst single attack against journalists in the OSCE region since the establishment of this Office...

COPENHAGEN, 7 January 2015 – In response to Wednesday's attack on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva issued the following statement...

While finding that Bulgaria’s 5 October 2014 early parliamentary elections were efficiently administered and held in a competitive environment, the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommends restoring public confidence in the electoral process by addressing the persistent issue of vote-buying and “controlled” voting.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). An SMM Unarmed/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was shot at in the Donetsk region. The SMM visited a number of border crossing-points (BCPs) across the country...

BELGRADE / VIENNA, 7 January 2015- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier expressed their outrage today at the terrorist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, condemning the massacre as an attack on the freedom of expression...

VIENNA, 7 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović strongly condemned a terrorist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris today that left at least 12 dead of which 10 are Charlie Hebdo staff, including cartoonists Charb, Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski. Several people were wounded...

Although noting that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 12 October 2014 general elections were held in an environment with respect for fundamental freedoms, the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommends the review of limitations on the rights of individuals to vote and to run as candidates.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The JCCC noted that the situation in “Donetsk People’s Republic”-controlled areas had deteriorated considerably in the past 24 hours, with 69 ceasefire violations reported. Two explosions in Odesa caused damage...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC)...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM received reports about a deterioration of the relative calm since 9 December 2014, with an increase in ceasefire violations and casualties reported by the JCCC in the Donetsk region.

The provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum as well as the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) remained at the focus of SMM monitoring. In the 48 hours to mid-day on 31 December, the ceasefire held in the Luhansk area, according to the JCCC. In Kherson the SMM was told that no busses travelled to Crimea between 30 December and 1 January.

BELGRADE, 1 January 2015- De-escalation of the situation in Ukraine, based on a ceasefire respected by all sides will be Serbia's priority as it takes over the OSCE chairmanship in 2015, Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today.