Contents tagged with OSCE observers
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Russian observers will try to enter Ukraine on Monday as part of OSCE mission
Two Russian observers in the long-term mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) intend to fly to Kiyv on Monday, February 11, to observe the Ukrainian presidential campaign, announced the head of the Russian Public Institute of Election Law, Igor Borisov.
“An attempt will be made if nothing else happens. They are part of the ODIHR mission, which currently does not refuse the Russian segment as part of the mission in Ukraine,” Interfax-Ukraine quotes …
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OSCE SMM patrol comes under fire near Donetsk
On August 16, observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission came under fire on the outskirts of th settlement of Holmivskyi, which is 49 kilometers northeast of Donetsk, reported the mission’s press-service.
Three mission members patrolled on foot while two remained in the SMM cars. A member of an armed formation, carrying an automatic rifle, and a Voda Donbasa public utility company worker were speaking to the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) observers while two other rifle-bearing …
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Heraschenko: OSCE observer’s friendly demeanor toward separatists was not a simple coincidence
During a meeting of the Tripartite Contact Group (TCG) in Minsk, Ukraine plans to raise the issue of an "imprudent" OSCE observer who exchanged a friendly greeting with a militant, as stated on Facebook by Iryna Herashchenko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and Ukrainian Humanitarian Envoy to the TCG.
"The OSCE is making justifications for its observer, who, greeted the militants as if they were family. They say this is was just an oversight. Of course, this is not an oversight, …
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Kyiv: the presence of Russians at the OSCE mission has doubled in one year
The number of representatives of the Russian Federation and countries friendly to it that are part of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) has increased significantly over the past year, notes Iryna Herashchenko, the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Tripartite Contact Group.
"Very often in the mission there are representatives of those countries that have special sentiments towards Moscow, and sometimes they do not …
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OSCE will increase number of observers in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) plans to increase the number of observers for its Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, in order to strengthen its technical capacity and increase patrol hours along the contact line in the conflict zone. Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian Foreign Minister who currently holds the OSCE Chairmanship, made the announcement at a UN Security Council meeting.
Kurz, who visited Ukraine in January, called the level of violence in the east of …
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OSCE will not send observers to Russian elections in Crimea
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the OSCE, Ihor Prokopchuk, stated in an interview with journalists in Kiev that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will not send observers to Russian parliamentary elections that will take place in the Crimea, as reported by a correspondent of Ukrayinska Pravda. According to ODIHR, those elections, which are held in the territory of the Russian Federation, don’t concern the Crimea.
“Countries can invite the OSCE Office for …
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OSCE condemns threats against its observers in eastern Ukraine
The Acting Head of the OSCE, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier, expressed concerns over the increase in ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine including incidents involving OSCE observers.
“The SMM is a civil, unarmed mission. It plays an important role in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. SMM observers’ security should be guaranteed by both sides. The persons responsible for threats and use of force against observers must be brought to justice,” …
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OSCE calls on all parties to ensure the safety of SMM observers
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stated that there are "threats and use of force against the observers" in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, according to the joint statement made by the Foreign Ministers of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Serbia, Ivica Dačićта and Sebastia Kurz from Austria, which was published on the organization’s website on Tuesday, April 12th. Germany currently chairs the organization previously chaired by the Serbian representative; the …
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Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemns attacks against OSCE monitors
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands that Russia stop provocations against the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE and ensure safe and unhindered access to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the shelling of a car of the Special Monitoring Mission, which was carried out by militants on April 7, 2016, near Snizhne. We believe this was another daring attempt to intimidate the observers of the OSCE SMM. We emphasize that …
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OSCE: Pro-Russian separatists attempt to deceive monitors by using fake residents
The Principal Deputy Chief of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, during a press briefing on Tuesday in Donetsk stated that pro-Russian separatists attempt to deceive monitors by having people who pretend to be local residents talk with members of the SMM. As reported by Ukrinform, the leaders of the separatists organize buses to transport "local residents" from village to village to spread misinformation to the OSCE.
“When we were about to leave the village …