News and press releases

On 1 January 2020, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe launched a EUR 3.3 million project on the “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan”, funded within the framework of the European Union’s Foreign Policy Instrument. The 18-month project aims to increase the professional capability of the Tajik and Afghan Border Services in order to better tackle illicit activities in border areas.

Vienna/Tirana, 1 January 2020 – “Taking over the OSCE Chair is a truly historic moment for Albania: from a country under a cruel communist regime that opposed the Helsinki spirit, we have become one honored to lead this organization. Chairing the OSCE marks the highlight of our significant transformation,” said Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Edi Rama today as he assumed the post of Chairperson-in-Office of the regional security organization.

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw for the first time a camera and an antenna inside the disengagement area near Zolote. It continued monitoring the situation at the disengagement areas near

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe provided logistical support enabling Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoESCD) of the Shahritus district, in partnership with local government and the Water Management of Lower Kafirnigan basin, to clear 45,900 m3 of soil and other debris from flow channels in three rural villages of the Shahritus district in the Khatlon region. Over 620 households, schools and highways were secured.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 27 and 28 December, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 28 and 29 December, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro has supported the Forensic Centre of the Police Directorate in Danilovgrad since its inception in 2008, to receive accreditation as a fully-fledged member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutions. In 2017, the European Commission upgraded the forensic standard for criminal investigations, which requires re-training the forensic centre to meet the new standard in 2020.