News and press releases

MOSCOW / WASHINGTON / PARIS, 2 April, 2016 – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) express grave concern over the reported large-scale ceasefire violations that are taking place along the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. We strongly condemn the use of force and regret the senseless loss of life, including civilians...

The SMM observed a further increase in the number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a low number of ceasefire violations. It monitored and facilitated repairs of essential infrastructure. The SMM observed the marking of mined areas in the security zone. It followed up on reports of shelling. The SMM facilitated the safe passage of civilians stranded between Ukrainian Armed Forces and “LPR” checkpoints in Luhansk region. The Mission reached a border crossing point in an area not controlled by the Government. The SMM was restricted in its freedom of movement mostly in areas not controlled by the Government*...

COPENHAGEN, 1 April 2016 – On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) congratulated the thousands of parliamentarians involved in the OSCE PA for their immense contributions to the OSCE process and people since 1991...

BISHKEK, 1 April 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev yesterday signed an agreement on extending the current operating modalities and academic independence of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek...

The SMM observed a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a low number of ceasefire violations. It facilitated dialogue within the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination. The SMM observed the marking of mined areas in the security zone. It followed up on reports of injured civilians. The Mission reached one border crossing point in areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM was restricted in its freedom of movement in areas not controlled by the Government, including in the border area*...

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities co-organized a conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 28 to 29 March 2016 on education challenges in multilingual and multicultural contexts in Central Asia. The conference, organized with the French Institute for Central Asian Studies (IEFAC), UNICEF

The SMM observed a high number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, mostly in the Yasynuvata-Avdiivka area. In Luhansk region the situation remained relatively calm, with a low number of ceasefire violations recorded. The SMM observed the marking of mined areas in the security zone. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs of essential infrastructure. The Mission reached one border crossing point in areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM was restricted in its freedom of movement in areas not controlled by the Government*...