News and press releases

VILNIUS, 16 July 2011- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, commented on a clash between government forces and militants in the Diyarbakır province of Turkey which resulted in the deaths of thirteen and injuries to seven Turkish soldiers...

Seventy young people from both sides of the Dniestr/Nistru River are participating in a summer school in Molovata Noua, Moldova, from 7 to 17 July 2011. The school aims to raise awareness among young people of the role of civil society in dealing with environmental issues...

WASHINGTON, 15 July 2011 – Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, called on governments to treat Internet access as a human right that should be enshrined in their constitutions, in testimony today at the U.S. Helsinki Commission...

VIENNA/PODGORICA, 15 July 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, and Šarūnas Adomavičius, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro today condemned the deliberate burning by unknown perpetrators of two vehicles belonging to the Montenegrin daily “Vijesti”...

ASTANA, 15 July 2010 – Representatives of the OSCE Centre in Astana, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, the Presidential Administration, state agencies, international organizations, academia, diplomatic corps and non-governmental stakeholders met today to discuss implementing integrated water resource management (IWRM) principles in the country...

VIENNA, 15 July 2011 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, expressing his condolences to the President and people of Turkmenistan over the tragic explosion in Abadan, today offered OSCE assistance with clearance and securing stocks of arms and ammunition...

Representatives of the 56 OSCE participating States on 13 July 2011 discussed how to best r implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1540, which obliges signatories to take measures against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons...

Ambassador Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, Secretary General of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation Permanent International Secretariat, told the OSCE Permanent Council on 14 July 2011 that his organization hoped to enhance its co-operation with the OSCE in the field of economic and environmental security...

A series of legal consultations were held between 6 and 14 July 2011 in the border districts of the Osh and Jalal-Abad Provinces with support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek...

Telling the true stories of women who were victims of domestic violence, the documentary-style play Casa M. will tour Moldova’s regions from 15 to 31 July 2011 to help raise awareness of and prevent domestic violence...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) hosted a roundtable meeting on 13 July 2011 on the integration of migrants in Ukraine. The 50 participants from the Ukrainian government, civil society and international organizations discussed how to resolve the challenges related to the integration of migrants in the country...

VILNIUS, 13 July 2011 – Strong and independent national human rights institutions are essential for bridging the gap between government and civil society, speakers said at the opening today of a special OSCE meeting on the topic...

A series of three-day training seminars for female party activists from the Respublika, Ak-Shumkar and Ata-Meken political parties was completed on 13 July by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs...

VILNIUS, 12 July 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis today met the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group: Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation accompanied by Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova, in co-operation with the Center for Protection of Human Rights in Transdniestria, a non-governmental organization, held a summer school on practical ways to enhance the protection of human rights, from 8 to 10 July 2011 in Vadul lui Voda...

The Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship, with the support of the Swiss Delegation to the OSCE and the Conflict Prevention Centre, is hosting an expert meeting on 12 July 2011 in Vienna on strengthening the mediation-support capacity of the Organization...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 11 July 2011 – The fourth annual workshop on international co-operation in criminal matters for legal experts in Central Asia, co-hosted by the OSCE in co-operation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), began in Almaty today...

VIENNA, 11 July 2011 – The deadly explosion of munitions at a military base in Cyprus underlines that work to secure ammunition and weapons stocks is of utmost urgency, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said today...

PODGORICA/VIENNA, 11 July 2011 – The OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today commended Montenegro for decriminalizing defamation...

VILNIUS, 11 July 2011- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, expressed his solidarity and sympathy with the people of Russia today...

VIENNA, 11 July 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 9 July. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

VIENNA, 8 July 2011 – Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today strongly condemned the alleged attempt to murder Sener Levent, the editor-in-chief of Afrika newspaper in northern Cyprus...

VIENNA, 8 July 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 8 July. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

The Romanian version of an OSCE manual on good practices in building trust and understanding between police and Roma and Sinti communities was launched at a meeting in Romania’s parliament on 8 July 2011...

An OSCE-supported training course on mediation skills for active residents and community leaders from five communities in northern Kyrgyzstan started 9 July 2011 in the Kashka-Suu resort near Bishkek...

BISHKEK, 8 July 2011 – Twelve minibuses equipped to act as mobile police reception units were donated today to Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry under the Community Security Initiative, part of the OSCE’s police reform programme for the country...

VIENNA, 8 July 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 8 July. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

VIENNA, 8 July 2011 – The Internet should remain free and access should be considered a human right, said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović at the presentation of a report on regulations affecting new media in the OSCE region today...

A series of seminars for judges and lawyers on international human rights law in several regions of Ukraine, supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), started on 7 July 2011 in Lutsk...

VIENNA, 8 July 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 8 July. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

The need to restart official negotiations without preconditions between the sides in the Transdniestrian conflict was reiterated by Ambassador Renatas Norkus of Lithuania, the Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, in meetings with the Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and the Parliament Speaker and Acting President Marian Lupu on 7 July 2011...

Promoting pluralism in new media, including the Internet, is the focus of a two-day OSCE meeting that started on 7 July 2011...

VIENNA, 7 July 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, today urged the Tajik authorities to release detained BBC reporter Urunboi Usmonov...

KYIV, 7 July 2011 – Ten representatives from Ukrainian governmental and non-governmental agencies learned about Serbia’s experience with implementing a national referral mechanism to help human trafficking victims through an OSCE- supported study trip to the country that concluded today...

SKOPJE, 7 July 2011 – Government representatives and practitioners involved in introducing free legal aid in the country as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia shared their experiences and lessons learned at an OSCE-supported regional conference that started in Skopje today...

BISHKEK, 7 July 2011 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek and other international organizations supported a meeting on the development of a new national action plan to combat human trafficking today...

VIENNA, 6 July 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 6 July. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

BELGRADE, 6 July 2011 – The OSCE will continue its work to resolve protracted conflicts, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today told 300 Parliamentarians from 53 OSCE participating States and four partner countries gathered in Belgrade for the Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly...

BELGRADE, 6 July 2011- Staff from the Serbian High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor completed today a three-day training course on international humanitarian law. The training was held as part of the War Crimes Justice Project which is led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)...

BELGRADE, 6 July 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, met Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić today to discuss OSCE support for institutional reforms in the country, specifically in the areas of anti-corruption, election legislation and judicial reform...

BISHKEK, 6 July 2011 – The safety of journalists, particularly while covering demonstrations, was the topic of a roundtable meeting held today in Bishkek with support from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek...

PODGORICA, 5 July 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, visited Montenegro today and emphasized that the OSCE will continue to support the country's efforts to build strong democratic foundations...

A series of six regional training sessions for the police, prosecutors and journalists on co-operation concluded on 30 June 2011 in Prishtinë/Priština...

VILNIUS, 5 July 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today expressed strong concern and regret over continued violence by the Belarusian authorities against their fellow citizens who intended to exercise their civil liberties and hold peaceful public demonstrations...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 5 July 2011 – More than 50 transport and customs officials and policy makers from 11 Central Asia, South Caucasus and Eastern Europe countries will focus on improving inland transport connectivity between Europe and Asia during a three-day OSCE-supported workshop that started today in Almaty...

VIENNA, 5 July 2011- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, released the following statement today...

Practitioners and OSCE officers involved in the work of the OSCE-supported Aarhus Centres met in Chisinau, on 29 June 2011, to take part in preparations for next year’s global UN conference on sustainable development, “Rio+20”.

VIENNA, 4 July 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said today she was concerned about three media outlets owned by Plus Production facing closure for alleged tax evasion. She urged the country to adhere to rule of law principles in handling their cases...

VIENNA, 5 July 2011 – Raising awareness of the importance of building a well-informed and engaged civil society in the fight against corruption is the focus of a roundtable meeting today, organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA)...

VIENNA, 4 July 2011- Newly appointed OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, speaking to the 56 OSCE participating States at a special session of the Permanent Council, said he would work to strengthen the OSCE Secretariat's effectiveness, raise the Organization's profile and improve co-ordination among the different parts of the OSCE...