News and press releases

An exercise in combating international drug trafficking, designed and financed by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, concluded in Prishtinë/Priština on 11 March 2011...

TBILISI, 15 March 2011- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, emphasized the OSCE's commitment to achieving progress on security and stability issues through the Geneva Discussions and addressing urgent humanitarian concerns for the benefit of affected communities while in Tbilisi today...

BAKU, 14 March 2011- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, in Baku today, emphasized the importance of Azerbaijan in securing regional stability, and urged the authorities to work towards progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process and implement OSCE commitments to further democratic reforms, including promoting pluralism...

VIENNA, 14 March 2011- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today condemned continued intimidation and threats against investigative journalists in Italy and urged the Italian authorities to take action and investigate all such cases...

ERGNETI, 11 March 2011- On 11 March 2011, the 10th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism covering the South Ossetian theatre took place in Ergneti. The meeting was co-facilitated by EUMM and OSCE...

VIENNA, 11 March 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, expressed his solidarity and sympathy with the people of Japan today...

BAKU, 11 March 2011 – The OSCE Office in Baku, in co-operation with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Affairs, held a conference today to support the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, raising awareness about the matter and sharing international experience in addressing it...

VIENNA, 11 March 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 10 March. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

VIENNA, 10 March 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 10 March. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

VIENNA, 10 March 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, called today upon the government of Azerbaijan to stop systematic intimidation of jailed journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, live up to its OSCE media-freedom commitments and comply with a European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) judgment ordering his immediate release...

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Dimitrios Kypreos, led a group of 13 ambassadors in a visit to TV B92 on 8 March 2011. The visit was arranged to show support for the broadcaster and its investigative journalists, who have received death threats from radical and organized crime groups...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, called for full recognition of the role of NGOs as major actors of anti-trafficking action, during the launch of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking in London on 8 March...

YEREVAN, 10 March 2011 – The Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, stressed today the importance of furthering judicial reform for the country...

Following a visit to Tajikistan in February, ODIHR provided comments to the country’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) on the proposed introduction of e-voting in the country. The visit followed a request from the CCER for support from the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in implementing electronic voting...

A group of 40 Albanian women participating in an OSCE Presence in Albania project on gender equality asked Albanian President Bamir Topi for support in ensuring women’s inclusion in electoral candidates’ lists for the upcoming local elections during a meeting on 8 March 2011 in Tirana...

VILNIUS, 9 March 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...

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

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

VIENNA, 8 March 2011 – Hungary's media legislation still violates OSCE press freedom commitments, despite recent adjustments, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said today...

SARAJEVO, 8 March 2011 – The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Vadim Kuznetsov, called for better implementation of the country's gender equality law in a statement released to mark today's 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova, in co-operation with the International Center for the Advancement of Women in Business NGO (ICAWB), will conduct training seminars on running for public office for 150 women from all over Moldova. The project is being implemented ahead of upcoming local elections and marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2011...

VILNIUS, 8 March 2011 – The 100th Anniversary of the International Women's Day is a call to intensify work to promote gender equality, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, said today...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 8 March 2011 – The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Ambassador Werner Almhofer called today for the enhanced participation of women in political and social life, on the occasion of the 100th International Women’s Day...

WARSAW, 7 March 2011 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will send observers to monitor the trials of presidential candidates, campaign activists and other individuals charged in relation to the events following the 19 December presidential election in Belarus, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, ODIHR’s Director, said today...

TIRANA, 7 MARCH 2011- International Women’s Day on 8 March and upcoming local elections on 8 May provide an opportunity to underline our continued support of the promotion of gender equality, said the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth today...

LONDON, 7 March 2011 – More research into how the demand for cheap labour in the global market affects trafficking in human beings is needed to strengthen anti-trafficking efforts, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, said in a public lecture today at the London School of Economics...

Eighty student teachers and social workers received certificates at the end of February from the acting Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Natalya Drozd, and the Minister of Education and Science Nikola Todorov for completing an OSCE-organized practicum placement in multi-ethnic classrooms, at a ceremony in Skopje.

GENEVA, 4 March 2011 – Additional confidence-building measures in areas affected by the August 2008 conflict in Georgia are needed, said the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Protracted Conflicts, Giedrius Čekuolis at today’s round of the Geneva International Discussions...

VILNIUS, 4 March 2011- Trends and good practices in women’s entrepreneurship in the OSCE region were in focus during a two-day OSCE meeting that ended today in Vilnius, Lithuania...

The OSCE Presence in Albania and the non-governmental organization the Albanian Centre for Legal Civil Initiatives presented on 3 March three reports related to the situation for victims of trafficking in Albania at an event organized in Tirana

DUSHANBE, 4 March 2011 – An OSCE-supported strategic planning workshop for 15 senior law enforcement commanders, held to support the country's police reform in line with democratic principles, ended today...

VIENNA, 3 March 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today called on Turkish authorities to immediately stop intimidating media following police action against several journalists...

BISHKEK, 3 March 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed today the need to co-ordinate international efforts to assist North Africa, and the possibility of creating a co-ordination mechanism among relevant international organizations, under UN leadership...

VIENNA, 3 March 2011 – Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan told the OSCE Permanent Council today that the OSCE Minsk Group remains the only internationally mandated format for negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and expressed his hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict...

BELGRADE, 3 March 2011 – Representatives of the Justice Ministry, the Anti-corruption Agency, political parties, civil society and the media today discussed a draft law on financing of political activities at an event supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and USAID and the Justice Ministry...

BISHEK, 3 March 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today welcomed Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to restore stability and emphasized the need to continue reforms and promote democratic governance...

OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 2 March 2011 – Reconstruction and development in Kyrgyzstan must be inclusive and involve all communities, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, on a visit to the city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan today...

A workshop organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on improving the quality of municipal acts concluded on 1 March 2011 in Ohrid, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia...

ALMATY, 1 March 2011- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, emphasized the role of civil society and the importance of broad political representation for Kazakhstan's reform progress following meetings with representatives of non-governmental organizations and political parties in Almaty today...

ASTANA, 1 March 2011- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 3 April early presidential election in Kazakhstan...

VIENNA, 28 February 2011 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro called for greater awareness of trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude and more effective action to tackle the crime, during the launch of a new publication focusing on domestic servitude today...

ASTANA, 28 February 2011- The OSCE Chairperson, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, emphasized the importance of taking forward the momentum gained at the Astana Summit and sustaining Kazakhstan’s reform progress following a meeting today with the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev...

VIENNA, 25 February 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 24 February. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

TIRANA, 25 February 2011 – Albanian police instructors today completed an OSCE-supported course that will enable them to travel to Afghanistan this summer to train Afghan police in basic policing techniques...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 25 February 2011 – The OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OSCE) published today its report “Adjudication of family law cases in Kosovo: Case management issues”...

VIENNA, 25 February 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 24 February. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

The Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Sergey Kapinos discussed Armenia's regulatory reform with Yerevan Mayor Karen Karapetyan in a meeting on 24 February 2011...

VIENNA, 25 February 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 25 February. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...

ASTANA, 25 February 2010 – How to apply international standards of judicial independence in the selection, promotion and evaluation of judges as well as in the co-operation among the judicial, legislative and executive branches was in focus today during an OSCE-supported event held at the Supreme Court...

VIENNA, 25 February 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 24 February. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...