News and press releases

BERLIN / VIENNA, 5 July 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today congratulated Christine Muttonen, an Austrian parliamentarian, on her election as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. They also thanked outgoing President Illka Kanerva from Finland for his work since July 2014...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations compared to those recorded during the day on 3 July. Most of the fighting was recorded in the areas around Yasynuvata, Horlivka and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations during the reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis on both sides of the contact line, in Klynove and Kominternove. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission monitored a border area not controlled by the Government and encountered a restriction there. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on six occasions, five of which were in areas not controlled by the Government.* In Odessa, the SMM monitored the 49th consecutive day of an around-the-clock protest by internally displaced persons. In Kharkiv the SMM followed up on reports of weapons discovered in Mala Rohan...

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall cross-border traffic decreased at both BCPs...

TBILISI, 5 July 2016 – At the close of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi today, members of the Assembly elected Austrian parliamentarian Christine Muttonen as President. Muttonen has previously served as OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative for Central and Eastern Asia, and is Deputy Head of the Austrian Delegation to the PA...

TBILISI, 5 July 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration today, addressing key issues in the fields of political affairs and security, economics, the environment, human rights, and humanitarian concerns...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations on 2 July compared to the previous day, followed by a decrease in recorded ceasefire violations on 3 July. In Luhansk region, the SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations over the weekend compared to the previous day. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis on both sides of the contact line, in Myronivskyi and Dokuchaievsk. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and the situation at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The SMM facilitated repairs to a power plant and the transfer of the body of a deceased person near Shchastia. The Mission monitored a border area not controlled by the Government. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on five occasions, four times in areas not controlled by the Government.* In Kyiv, the SMM observed a demonstration against the pre-trial detention measure of a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces...

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded a similarly high number of ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region, the SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous day. The SMM members in Svitlodarsk were redirected to Kramatorsk for the night, due to the deterioration of the security situation in the area. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Kominternove and Yasynuvata. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission monitored a border area not controlled by the Government and its access was denied at one border crossing point The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on three occasions.* In Odessa, the SMM observed a demonstration gathering about 500 people in front of the city council...