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1018th Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council

“Women and conflict – Challenges of implementing UNSC resolution 1325”, presentation by Ms. K. Nordmeyer, President, National Committee for UN Women, Germany. “UNSC resolution 1325 implementation in an OSCE context”, presentation by Ms. M. Beham, Senior Adviser on Gender Issues, Office of the Secretary General (Austria, also on behalf of Finland, Kazakhstan and Turkey, Annex 1; Ireland, Annex 2; Iceland, Annex 3; Norway, Annex 4). Situation in and around Ukraine (Ukraine, Annex 5).

Prior to taking up the agenda, the Chairperson extended condolences to Denmark and Egypt (Partner for Co-operation) in connection with the recent terrorist attacks in Copenhagen and Libya. Latvia-European Union also offered condolences to Denmark in connection with the terrorist attack in Copenhagen on 15 February 2015. Presentation by Mr. R. G. Bell, Senior Civilian Representative of the Secretary of Defense in Europe and Defense Advisor, United States Mission to NATO. Situation in and around Ukraine (Ukraine, Annex).

Agenda of the meeting

Address by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, H.E. Angelino Alfano. Update by the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik. Report by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1264 on the extension of the deployment of OSCE observers to two Russian checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border (Ukraine, interpretative statement 1; Estonia-European Union, interpretative statement 2; United States of America, interpretative statement 3; Russian Federation, interpretative statement 4). The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1265 on the agenda for the 2017 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. Commemoration of the attempted terrorist coup in Turkey in July 2016. The Russian language in Lithuania. Attempts by NATO to glorify the so-called “Forest Brothers” and to rewrite the history of the Second World War. Ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian Federation. International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, marked on 26 June. Continued reports of gross violations of human rights by the Chechen authorities. Illegal so-called “elections” in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. “Presidential elections” in Nagorno-Karabakh, held on 19 July 2017. Situation of LGBTI persons in Chechnya. The Permanent Council placed the decision on the topic and dates of the Human Dimension Seminar in Warsaw, the text of which is appended to this journal, under a silence procedure with the period of silence expiring on Wednesday, 26 July 2017, at 5 p.m. CET. The Permanent Council placed the decision on the agenda, timetable and other organizational modalities of the 2017 Human Dimension Seminar, the text of which is appended to this journal, under a silence procedure with the period of silence expiring on Wednesday, 26 July 2017, at 5 p.m. CET. Ministerial Council decisions on the appointments of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and the OSCE Secretary General (Estonia-European Union, Annex 1; Canada, Annex 2; Georgia, Annex 3). Announcement by the Chairperson-in-Office, in a letter issued on 18 July 2017 (Annex 4), of the adoption through a silence procedure of Ministerial Council Decision No. 1/17 on the appointment of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the text of which is appended to this journal (Kazakhstan, interpretative statement 1; Russian Federation, also on behalf of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, interpretative statement 2; United States of America, interpretative statement, see attachment 3; Azerbaijan, interpretative statement 4). Announcement by the Chairperson-in-Office, in a letter issued on 18 July 2017 (Annex 5), of the adoption through a silence procedure of Ministerial Council Decision No. 2/17 on the appointment of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the text of which is appended to this journal (Kazakhstan, interpretative statement 1; Russian Federation, also on behalf of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, interpretative statement 2; Azerbaijan, interpretative statement 3; United States of America, interpretative statement 4). Announcement by the Chairperson-in-Office, in a letter issued on 18 July 2017 (Annex 6), of the adoption through a silence procedure of Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/17 on the appointment of the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the text of which is appended to this journal (Kazakhstan, interpretative statement 1; Russian Federation, also on behalf of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, interpretative statement 2; Azerbaijan, interpretative statement 3; United States of America, interpretative statement 4; Austria, interpretative statement 5). Announcement by the Chairperson-in-Office, in a letter issued on 18 July 2017 (Annex 7), of the adoption through a silence procedure of Ministerial Council Decision No. 4/17 on the appointment of the OSCE Secretary General, the text of which is appended to this journal (Kazakhstan, interpretative statement 1; Russian Federation, also on behalf of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, interpretative statement 2; Azerbaijan, interpretative statement 3; United States of America, interpretative statement 4). Farewell to the Permanent Representative of the European Union to the OSCE, Ambassador T. Béchet. Parliamentary elections in Austria, to be held on 15 October 2017. Twenty-sixth Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, held in Minsk from 5 to 9 July 2017. Parliamentary elections in Norway, to be held on 11 September 2017. Presidential elections in Mongolia, held on 26 June and 7 July 2017.

Presentation by Mr. P. Griffiths, Head of Secretariat, Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies (Spain, Annex 1; Switzerland, Annex 2). Situation in and around Ukraine (Ukraine, Annex 3). Role of the Forum for Security Co-operation with regard to the situation in and around Ukraine. Large-scale military exercise in Azerbaijan, commenced on 2 February 2015 (Armenia, Annex 4; Azerbaijan, Annex 5). Expressions of condolences on the executions of a Japanese and a Jordanian national by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) (Chairperson, Annex 6).

1017th Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council

Address by a Representative of the Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Security and Multilateral Issues of the Czech Republic, Mr. Ivo Šrámek. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1251 on the Programme Office in Dushanbe (Malta-European Union, interpretative statement 1; Russian Federation, interpretative statement 2; Tajikistan, interpretative statement 3; United States of America, interpretative statement 4). The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1252 on the approval of the 2017 Unified Budget (Chairperson, Annex 1; Malta-European Union, interpretative statement 1; United States of America, interpretative statement 2; Kazakhstan, interpretative statement 3; France, interpretative statement 4; Russian Federation, interpretative statement 5; Austria, interpretative statement 6). Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and illegal occupation of Crimea. Situation in Ukraine and the need to implement the Minsk agreements. Violations of the linguistic rights of national minorities in Latvia. Murder of Mr. D. Popkov. Continued reports of arrests, unlawful detention, torture and killing of homosexual men by the Chechen authorities. International Children’s Day, observed on 1 June 2017. Participation of the Secretary General in the 2017 OSCE Youth Conference, held in Málaga, Spain, on 25 and 26 May 2017 (Spain, Annex 2).

1016th Special Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council

2020 OSCE Asian Conference, via Zoom, 12-13 October 2020