News and press releases

VIENNA, 22 May 1997-- This letter was sent by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for Albania, former Austrian Chancellor, Dr. Franz Vranitzky, to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Bashkim Fino,...

VIENNA, 20 May 1997-- The Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office, former Austrian Chancellor, Dr. Franz Vranitzky, issued the following statement today: Faced...

VIENNA, 13 May 1997-- The Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office, former Austrian Chancellor, Dr. Franz Vranitzky, issued the following statement today: Over the last few months the OSCE...

COPENHAGEN, 24 April 1997-- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen, has issued the following press statement concerning security incidents in the Nagorno-Karabakh region affecting monitoring activities...

COPENHAGEN, 22 April 1997-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen, said the need for funds for elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina is urgent and firm pledges for contributions are needed as soon as possible.

COPENHAGEN, 10 April 1997-- The Ministers of the Troika of the OSCE, the Foreign Ministers of Poland, Switzerland and Denmark met today in Copenhagen and issued the following statement on...

COPENHAGEN, 3 April 1997--The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen regretfully accepted the resignation of Ambassador Tim Guldiman as head of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya.

COPENHAGEN, 27 March 97-- The OSCE has today decided to establish an OSCE presence in Albania. This presence will provide a framework for efficient international efforts by the involved international organizations.

VIENNA, 26 March 1997-- Mr. Gérard Stoudmann of Switzerland has been appointed as Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights today by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

COPENHAGEN, 10 March 1997-- The Chairman-in-Office welcomes the initiative by President Berisha to propose a national coalition government and the holding of general elections in Albania..

COPENHAGEN, 6 March 1997-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen, said today that the municipal elections this year will be of key importance for the future developments of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

VIENNA, 5 March 1997-- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office asked the Personal Representative to leave for Albania at the "earliest possible hour."

COPENHAGEN, 12 February 1997-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE wishes to express his deep concern about developments in Albania. The potential for a serious crisis is at hand. The Chairman-in-Office calls upon all sides involved to refrain from the us

COPENHAGEN, 11 February 1997- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE is seriously concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Tajikistan, resulting from the taking of hostages by an armed group, and strongly condemns this act of terrorism.

COPENHAGEN, 7 February 1997-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen met today in Copenhagen with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Mr. Ivan Antonovich....

COPENHAGEN, 5 February 1997-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE notes the decision of the authorities in Belgrade to move towards an implementation of the recommendations made by the OSCE concerning the local elections.

BELGRADE, 21 December 1996-- A delegation of the OSCE, headed by Mr. Felipe Gonzalez, as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, visited Belgrade on 20-21...

VIENNA, 20 December 1996-- Today former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, accompanied by a delegation, left for a visit to Belgrade as Personal Representative...

BERN, 17 December 1996-- In response to the 13 December invitation of FRY Foreign Minister Milutinovic, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, has decided to send a Special Representative to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

BERN, 17 December 1996-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE was horrified to learn of the atrocious crime which claimed the lives of six International Red Cross medical aid workers as they were sleeping early this morning in Novye Atagi (Chechen Republic

BERN, 13 December 1996-- The Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Milan Milutinovic, sent a letter today to the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, inviting an OSCE delegation to visit his country.

BERN, 7 Decenber 1996-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE is seriously concerned about the deterioration of the situation which has taken place in Tajikistan, in particular in the last days. He deplores that the different Tajik sides are entering into c

LISBON, 3 December 1996-- The OSCE Troika reaffirmed the widely shared conviction that the referendum of November 24 in Belarus was conducted in contradiction with the constitutional procedures... and cannot be considered as legitimate

BERN, 30 November 1996-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, issued the following statement today concerning developments in Belarus....

BERN, 29 November 1996-- Upon invitation by the Yugoslav Government, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights provided a technical analysis of the elections for the Federal Assembly and of the first round of elections for municipal g

VIENNA, 27 November 1996-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, has decided to send the Secretary General of the OSCE, Ambassador Giancarlo Aragona, to Minsk,...

VIENNA, 21 November 1996-- The OSCE Permanent Council agreed today to extend the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina until December 1997. The decision was taken in...

BERN, 16 November 1996-- The Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Troika, Mr. Laszlo Kovac of Hungary, Mr. Flavio Cotti of Switzerland and Mr. Niels Helveg Petersen of Denmark, issued the following statement today on Belarus:...

COPENHAGEN, 7 November 1996-- The following statements were issued in Copenhagen today by the OSCE Troika. The Ministers of the Troika of the OSCE underline that the General...

THE HAGUE, 30 October 1996-- The Carnegie Foundation today awarded the Wateler Peace Prize to Mr. Max van der Stoel, the OSCE High Commissioner on National...

BERN, 18 October 1996-- Having heard a preliminary report by the team of experts, the Chairman-in-Office expresses his serious concern with regard to the evolution of the situation in legal and constitutional fields in Belarus.

VIENNA, 17 October 1996-- On Thursday, 17 October, the Head of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya, Ambassador Tim Guldimann, will be in Vienna to address the Permanent Council...

SARAJEVO, 27 September 1996-- Intensive speculation and uncertainty over results of the voting in the 14 September elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina must be faced squarely by the OSCE Mission...

BELLINZONA, 19 September 1996-- The OSCE Troika Ministers expressed gratification at the large number of Bosnians who turned out on 14 September, braving harsh circumstances, to cast their ballots and vote on their future. The following statement address

VIENNA, 9 September 1996-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, has given his agreement to the following understanding reached between the Chairman of the Provisional Election Commission, Ambassador Robert Frowick and

BERN, 27 August 1996-- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office supports the decision made today by the Provisional Election Commission to put off the municipal elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He believes this measure should be able to correct the consequences

BERN, 22 August 1996-- The OSCE welcomes the recent statements by President Yeltsin, Prime Minister Chernomyrdin and Alexander Lebed, Secretary of the National Security Council, that Russia remains determined to seek a peaceful settlement of the confli

VIENNA, 11 July 1996- Today the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Daniel Tarschys, met with OSCE Secretary General Giancarlo Aragona to discuss ways of further...

VIENNA, 5 July 1996-- The OSCE Mission to the Republic of Croatia began its operations today with the arrival of its head of mission, Amb. Albert J.A.M. Nooij of the Netherlands.

BERN, 28 May 1996-- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office welcomes the meeting between President Yeltsin and a Chechen delegation, as well as the signing of the agreement between Russian Prime Minister Chernomyrdin and Chechen Leader Semlimkhan Yandarbiev as an

GROZNY, 23 May 1996-- A preliminary agreement has been reached on the necessity of resuming dialogue between the two sides of the armed conflict in Chechnya.

BERN, 10 May 1996-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, issued the following statement today on the release of prisoners of war and the second anniversary of the cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

BERN,9 May 1996-- The presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina of war criminals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague is a hindrance to the holding of free and fair elections...

VIENNA, 1 April 1996-- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office welcomes President Yeltsin's initiative for peace and hopes it will prove a decisive step in the direction of a turning point away from the recent escalation of combat.

VIENNA, 22 March 1996--The Fourth Meeting of the OSCE Economic Forum will convene on 27-29 March at the Czernin Palace in Prague. The meeting is expected to contribute economic security elements...

VIENNA, 18 March 1996-- On Thursday and Friday, 21-22 March, the OSCE Senior Council will be meeting in Prague. The meeting will open on Thursday at 15.00 with a statement by the...

VIENNA, 28 February 1996-- A plenary meeting with the parties to the negotiations on sub-regional arms control is scheduled for tomorrow, 29 February at 10:00 at...

VIENNA, 28 February 1996-- Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, as OSCE Chairman-in-Office,will meet in Baku and Erewan the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as the representatives of Nagorno Karabakh...

VIENNA, 26 January 1996-- Parties to the negotiations on confidence and security measures in Bosnia and Herzegovina signed an agreement...

COPENHAGEN, 23 January 1996-- The Ministers of the Troika of the OSCE met today in Copenhagen to follow-up on the OSCE Summit in Lisbon, discuss elections in Chechnya, and review the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and in Belarus...