News and press releases

BRUSSELS, 13 September 2013 – Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger has spoken out against yesterday’s attack on family members of Oliver Ivanović, a political figure from northern Mitrovicë/Mitrovica who has been active in the run-up to the local elections in Kosovo...

Thirteen Tajik border troops and twelve Afghan border police officers serving on the Tajik-Afghan border, graduated on 13 September 2013 from a regular Patrolling and Leadership course conducted by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, 13 September 2013 –An OSCE-supported training course on maritime border management concluded in the Caspian coast town of Turkmenbashi today...

VIENNA, 13 September 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović expressed disappointment that an information law that Spanish parliament passed yesterday will in fact restrict the public’s access to information...

VIENNA, 12 September 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović, has commended the decision of a Neuchâtel court that a police search carried out in the premises of journalist Ludovic Rocchi was ‘unjustified’ and therefore invalid in an ongoing investigation.

ASTANA, 12 September 2013 – Some 250 prosecutors and law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan gathered at an international conference that started today in Astana, with the OSCE Centre support, to discuss how to enhance transport security, improve transit and accelerate the movement of goods, in particular within the Eurasian economic space...

VIENNA, 12 September 2013- Turkish authorities must ensure that police violence against journalists is no longer tolerated, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today...

BUCHAREST, 12 September 2013- The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, at the close of her visit to Romania today, commended the government for giving priority to the fight against human trafficking...

Prishtinё/Priština, 12 September 2013 – The OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Office of Language Commissioner launched today a public campaign to promote language rights in Kosovo...

COPENHAGEN, 12 September 2013 – Makis Voridis, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs and Security, today addressed the Regional Conference on the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security for the Mediterranean Region held in Malta.

FLORESTI, Moldova, 12 September 2013 – Today, new OSCE-funded intruder detection and fire alarm systems were officially launched at the Moldovan National Army ammunition storage depot in Floresti in northern Moldova...

TASHKENT, 12 September 2013 – An OSCE-organized national training course for government officials and civil society representatives on increasing integrity and preventing corruption in public service started today in Tashkent...

YEREVAN, 11 September 2013 – The Head of OSCE Office in Yerevan Ambassador Andrey Sorokin issued the following statement today on recent cases of violence and intimidation against civic activists in Armenia...

ST. JULIAN’S /VIENNA, 11 September 2013 –Security sector governance and the role of armed forces in democratic societies are the topics of a three-day OSCE conference on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security starting today in Malta...

PRAGUE, 11 September 2013 – Ukrainian Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Leonid Kozhara opened today a three-day OSCE conference in Prague which gathered representatives of the OSCE participating States, international and non-governmental organizations as well as experts to discuss how the OSCE can contribute to energy sustainability and prevent adverse environmental impacts of energy-related activities...

An OSCE-supported awareness-raising quiz on risks and threats of explosive remnants of war (ERW), for more than160 secondary school students from all over Ukraine, took place on 9 September 2013 in Zaozerne near Yevpatoria in Crimea...

ASHGABAT/OSLO, 10 September 2013 – Three members of the Turkmenistan Central Election Commission and one representative of the Turkmen National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights learned about the electoral procedures of parliamentary elections in Norway during an OSCE-supported visit concluding in Oslo today...

VIENNA, 10 September 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović, today welcomed proposed amendments to Belarusian information law and called on the authorities to improve the draft legislation...

VIENNA, 9 September 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today reiterated her positive assessment of the Ukrainian parliament decision to adopt a law on public service broadcasting...

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, 9 September 2013 – An OSCE-supported roundtable focusing on proposed amendments to Kazakhstan`s legislation on freedom of expression was held in Astana today...

The OSCE Centre and the State Customs Service (SCS) of the Kyrgyz Republic signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Bishkek, on 9 September 2013, on establishing a training centre for Kyrgyzstan’s and Afghanistan’s customs officers...

An OSCE-supported inter-cultural summer camp for 45 secondary school students of different ethnic backgrounds in Skopje and Tetovo municipalities is taking place from 8 to 15 September 2013 in Struga...

BRNJEŠ/BËRNJESH, 5 September 2013 – Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), visited a Roma settlement in Gračanica/Graçanicë in central Kosovo today, to meet with municipal and Roma community representatives and discuss efforts to promote Roma integration and improve access to public services...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 5 September 2013 – Personal Representatives of the OSCE Ukrainian Chairmanship on Tolerance and Non-discrimination addressed participants of the OSCE-supported Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) seminar that concludes today in Almaty...

Some 25 leading experts, governmental officials and representatives of the diplomatic community in Bishkek took part in the annual seminar on regional security in Central Asia, hosted and organized by the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, from 6 to 7 September 2013...

SHEVCHENKOVE, Ukraine, 4 September 2013 – Seven-hundred and sixty tonnes of mélange, a highly toxic Soviet-era rocket fuel component, were shipped today from Ukraine to Russia to be processed into chemical products for civilian use, under an OSCE-supported project...

DUSHANBE, 4 September 2013 – A graduation ceremony of a training course on investigation and risk management techniques in customs procedures took place at the OSCE Border Management Staff College today...

Countering violent extremism, promoting tolerance, improving regional security, and understanding migration trends and political ideologies are the topics of this year’s OSCE-supported Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) meeting in Almaty held from 3 to 5 September 2013...

On 4 September 2013 the OSCE Centre in Bishkek provided Kyrgyzstan’s Defence Ministry with an obstacle course for training anti-terrorism unit officers and donated equipment for mountain patrolling in Osh, Southern Kyrgyzstan...

Some 50 prison and police officers of Kyrgyzstan’s State Penitentiary Service (GSIN) discussed on 4 September 2013 in Bishkek ways to prevent extremism and radicalization in prisons at an OSCE-supported training seminar...

TASHKENT, 4 September 2013 – A three-day course for police instructors on international human rights standards started today in Tashkent, which is being held with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan...

VIENNA, 3 September 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today expressed concern about the proposed amendments to the Criminal and Administrative codes in Kazakhstan which could limit the freedom of expression...

The first International Economic Forum in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) of Tajikistan brought together international and local business representatives, as well as national policy makers from 30 to 31 August 2013 to discuss and promote economic opportunities of the region...

SKOPJE, 2 September 2013 – The Mission to Skopje has supported the renovation of classrooms and provided basic equipment to the Shishevo branch of the “Sami Frasheri” primary school in the municipality of Saraj, which held a ceremony to open the new school year today...

On 30 August 2013 the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara had a telephone conversation with President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ranko Krivokapic. Leonid Kozhara reiterated a great importance that the Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship attaches to the activities of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and stressed the readiness to continue close co-operation with this institution...

BISHKEK, 30 August 2013- Thirteen university students from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan graduated today from the Fourth Central Asian School of Contemporary Journalism at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek...

A public presentation of an OSCE-supported training centre for the staff of Kyrgyzstan’s State Penitentiary Service (GSIN) took place in Bishkek on 30 August 2013...

DUSHANBE, 30 August 2013 – An OSCE-supported programme to facilitate exchange of experiences and co-operation on explosive hazards reduction and response concluded in Dushanbe today...

VIENNA, 29 August 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said today in a letter to the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski that continued detention in Skopje of journalist Tomislav Kezarovski for another 30 days is unacceptable...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) signed an agreement with the Montenegrin authorities on 29 August 2013 to provide training to Montenegrin law-enforcement officers in recognizing, understanding and investigating hate crimes...

BAKU, 29 August 2013 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission to monitor the 9 October presidential election in Azerbaijan...

VIENNA, 29 August 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, expressed her concern today in a letter to the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron about recent actions of the authorities against the Guardian newspaper...

The OSCE Office in Baku, in close co-operation with Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry, concluded on 27 August 2013 training cources for police officers...

VIENNA, 28 August 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today said she was appalled by a U.S. Department of Justice attempt to force a reporter to divulge sources in a criminal trial...

VIENNA, 28 August 2013 – The 1,000th observation flight under the Open Skies Treaty is a perfect illustration of how openness and transparency can build confidence between nations, said Ambassador Miklós Boros of Hungary, current Chair of the Open Skies Consultative Commission, today. Thirty-four OSCE participating States are parties to the Treaty that allows them to conduct peaceful unarmed aerial observations over each other’s territory...

DUSHANBE, 27 August 2013 – The OSCE Office in Tajikistan held the last round of public hearings on the final draft of the Environmental Code for Tajikistan.The final draft was developed and presented to government and civil society representatives by the working group on the development of the National Environmental Code, which consisted of Tajik and international experts. The document incorporated the comments received during other sessions of public hearings held in all the regions of Tajikistan in June 2013...

An OSCE-supported seminar on the role of the police in the observance and protection of human rights, led by the experts of the Interior Ministry Police Academy, ended today at the Ministry’s facility in Issy-Kul province...

The OSCE Office in Yerevan, in co-operation with Armenian Emergency Situations Ministry and the Global Fire Monitoring Centre, organized a roundtable discussion on improvements in fire management, including national legislative and institutional frameworks and a training on international standards on 20-22 August 2013, in Yerevan and Aghveran...

DUSHANBE, 23 August 2013 – An OSCE-facilitated roundtable meeting on strengthening food safety control and upgrading preparation for the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) in Tajikistan, was completed today in Dushanbe...

Ahead of Tajikistan’s presidential election campaign, the start of which will be announced at a special joint session of Parliament on 30 August, the OSCE Office in Tajikistan brought young politicians from Dushanbe, representing the ruling coalition and opposition parties, together with local authorities and young activists at meetings on 15 August 2013 in Kurgan-Tyube, the administrative centre of Khatlon region...