OSCE

BRATISLAVA, 28 October 2019 – Young women and men from across the OSCE region and beyond gathered in Bratislava today to discuss how to best engage youth for a safer future by 2030. The two-day OSCE-wide Youth Forum brings together young people, ambassadors, diplomats and experts for an inter-generational dialogue under the OSCE’s flagship Perspectives 20-30 initiative, a key priority of Slovakia’s OSCE Chair.

Opening the event, OSCE Chairperson and Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák noted that young people are still not always invited into the rooms of decision-making or given a seat at the table: “This, simply, does not make sense. It is young people who are driving the changes we all need. They are acting as watchdogs for human rights and fighting corruption. They are finding niche ways to boost and expand our economies. They are speaking truth to power when it comes to climate change. And, they are out there, in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, engaging in their communities to build peace — even when this puts them at risk.”

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger spoke about the significance of the Forum as part of a wider effort to integrate youth voices into the work of the OSCE. “This event is part of a process, and not a one-off event. Its outcomes will be presented in a side event at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava in December, and will hopefully provide fresh food-for-thought for our debates. So, I encourage you to take the outcomes of this process seriously and to take these perhaps unconventional ideas back into our discussions in the Hofburg. We are also exploring ways to give continuity to the Perspectives 20-30 initiative in 2020 and beyond,” he said.

The main focus of today’s discussion was a ‘food-for-thought’ paper, Perspectives 20-30: Providing for a Safer Future, which was drafted by a Core Group of Experts made up of young people from across the OSCE area. Ideas in the paper were drawn upon by various speakers today, including issues such as gender equality, technology, education, conflict prevention and non-discrimination.

Speaking about the paper, OSCE Chairperson Lajčák said: “It tells us — and this really caught my eye — that multilateralism is at risk. And that the only way to rebuild trust in institutions is to open them up; to better communicate what we are doing; to include more voices than ever before.”  

Providing concrete input on how to further develop the paper, keynote speaker Monika Froehler of the Ban Ki-moon Centre urged participants to take the discussion paper as a first step in the right direction which now has to be followed by action. She called on all participants to capitalize on their own, individual capacities to drive change. “Don’t ask what the OSCE can do for you, but what you can do for the OSCE and for the region,” she stressed.

Speaking on behalf of the Perspectives 20-30 Core Group of Experts, Katarina Kertysova underlined that youth currently constitutes one of the most under-represented groups in the political sphere. “This week’s Forum is a powerful engagement tool and an opportunity for us – the youth – to take ownership of the solution,” she said. “We hope this will serve as an example for other organizations to follow.”

Participants of the OSCE Youth Forum will continue to exchange their perspectives, facilitated by the two Special Representative of the Chair on Youth and Security Alba Brojka and Samuel Goda, and youth, peace and security experts from the OSCE, on the steps needed to secure a safer future through in-depth discussions on the rule of law, building peace, new technologies, environmental change, human rights, and education as a catalyst for change.

More information about the 20-30 Perspectives project can be found here: www.osce.org/youth

COPENHAGEN, 28 October 2019 – Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (MP, Cyprus) and Michael Georg Link (MP, Germany), Chair and Vice-Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, called today for authorities in Minsk to halt the execution of Viktar Syarhel, who was reportedly sentenced to death in Belarus for killing an eight-month old girl.

“Despite the gruesome nature of this crime, it must be emphasized that the death penalty is ineffective and inhumane, and this is why it has been abolished in every European country except Belarus,” they said in a statement. “We urge the Belarusian authorities to commute this sentence, to introduce without delay a moratorium on the death penalty, and ultimately to join the 55 other OSCE participating States that have abolished this inhumane punishment.”

In numerous OSCE PA Declarations, the Parliamentary Assembly has called for the abolition of the death penalty in the two OSCE participating States that still retain capital punishment, Belarus and the United States.

437237 Anna Vorobeva OSCE Mission to Moldova

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized two workshops, 24 October in Chisinau and 25 October in Comrat, to enhance professional capacity and co-operation of state institutions working in the field of national minorities' rights. The events brought together some 50 representatives from the Agency for Interethnic Relations, the Ombudsperson’s Office, the Equality Council, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research as well as ethno-cultural and national minority organizations and regional authorities from the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia.

The workshop in Chisinau focused on the best practices of human rights monitoring and reporting — a key responsibility for many of these state institutions, which are regularly submitting periodic reports to international human rights bodies on the implementation of the commitments and recommendations on national minorities’ rights.

“This workshop is a great opportunity for us to be better equipped in our daily task of monitoring the implementation of the national minorities’ rights, including compliance with domestic policies and international standards,” said Nicolae Radita, director of the Agency for Interethnic Relations. “It showed that monitoring and reporting on human rights is a continuous process, which requires effective collaboration at all levels of administration.”

The participants in Comrat discussed a human rights based approach to legislative and decision-making processes as well as co-operation between the central and regional authorities. “This workshop has offered us a platform for dialogue on the harmonization of the legislation between Chisinau and Comrat, in particular the implementation of the 1994 Moldovan law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia,” said Grigori Dulger, a member of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia.

Since 2018, the OSCE Mission has been supporting state institutions in Moldova in their implementation of the National Strategy for Consolidation of Interethnic Relations for 2017‒2027. The strategy seeks to promote inclusivity and tolerance in Moldova, which are important preconditions for achieving the final settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict.

VIENNA, 28 October 2019 – Over 200 participants representing media professionals, journalists, civil society, media experts and political representatives, will gather in Moscow on 6 November for the high-level Conference on “Freedom of the Media and Safety of Journalists in the Russian Federation and in the OSCE region: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age”.

The Conference, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, will discuss openly media freedom issues, safety of journalists, regulation affecting freedom of expression including through Internet, and the issue of disinformation.

Four expert panels will address the following topics: freedom of the media and media pluralism in Russia and in the OSCE region; safety of journalists: new challenges and responses; “fake news”, disinformation: how to tackle them, including through Internet regulation, and international standards on freedom of expression; and media self-regulation, fact-checking and the role of journalism, ethical standards and media literacy. 

Speakers will include Harlem Désir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and journalists from different media outlets, including Ivan Golunov of Meduza, Igor Rudnikov of Noviye Kolyosa, Nadezhda Prusenkova of Novaya Gazeta, Elena Chernenko of Kommersant, Anna Knishenko of RT, among others.

The conference will be opened by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, at 09:30am on Wednesday, 6 November, at Radisson Collection Hotel, 2/1 Kutuzovskiy Avenue, Bld.  1, Moscow. 

Journalists wishing to attend and report on the conference are required to send an e-mail confirming their attendance to lusine.apresyan@osce.org no later than 1 November.

The presentation of a valid ID is required for accreditation at the venue. 

A detailed agenda in English can be accessed here. 

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

437069 Kunduz Rysbek

The Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic, in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, organized a three-day meeting on export control from 23 to 25 October 2019 in Aral, Kyrgyzstan. The meeting brought together over thirty licensing, customs and other governmental authorities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The purpose of the regional meeting was to exchange experiences on effective export control management and discuss operational implementation issues regarding licensing systems and customs control.

The participants discussed developing common approaches to update and harmonize national control lists, the transit of controlled commodities and the establishment of mechanisms for the exchange of information on licensing and risk.

The seminar was aligned with the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution No. 1540 on Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and organized by the Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• Two men injured near the Kondrashivka pumping station near non-government-controlled Pankivka.    
• The Mission saw damage to civilian properties in non-government-controlled Holmivskyi.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission continued to observe reconstruction works of the broken section of the bridge and saw members of the armed formations dismantling sand-filled tyres from around the blue container south of the broken section of the bridge.
• Inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas, the SMM observed military and military-type presence and hardware.
• The SMM saw for the first time about 60 anti-tank mines in a field in government-controlled Shyrokyne.
• The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of and repairs to critical civilian infrastructure, including power lines on both sides of the contact line.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s freedom of movement continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Novoazovsk and Zaichenko, and at border crossing points outside government control near Izvaryne and Sievernyi.

VIENNA, 25 October 2019 – The impact of technologies enabled by digitalization on security and their implications for human rights will be the focus of the next OSCE Security Days event in Vienna, on Friday, 8 November 2019.

Given the central role of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security, participants in this OSCE Security Day will discuss the profound implications of the newest technological tools available both to states and non-state actors for all aspects of security, including the human dimension. The event will focus on opportunities and challenges associated with the design and use of new technologies, including risks of abuse as well as positive applications of such technologies to advance democracy, human rights, transparency and accountability.

Active participation over social networks is welcomed and encouraged: comments and questions can be sent prior to and during the event via Twitter at @OSCE, using the hashtag #secdays and on Facebook.  

The OSCE Security Day is open to representatives of international organizations, think tanks and academic institutions, civil society, youth, the private sector and the media, subject to prior registration and confirmation from the OSCE Secretariat. Media interested in participating should submit an electronic registration form available at events.osce.org/2019-security-days/registration no later than 31 October 2019.

The Security Days event will take place on Wednesday, 28 October 2015 from 9:00 to 18:00, in the Neuer Saal of the Hofburg Conference Centre (second floor).

The entire event will be streamed live at www.osce.org/live.  

Media interested in covering the event should register by e-mail to press@osce.org, by 17:00, Thursday, 7 November 2019.

The draft agenda, concept note, and organizational modalities can be found here.

If you have any questions or would like additional information about this event, please contact press@osce.org

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission saw damage from small-arms fire to a functioning school in non-government-controlled Zolote-5/Mykhailivka.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission continued to observe reconstruction works of the broken section of the bridge.
• Inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas, the SMM observed military presence and hardware. The SMM recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Petrivske disengagement area.
• The SMM saw for the first time about 1,000 anti-tank mines (assessed as not recent) along the eastern edge of government-controlled Vodiane.
• The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of and repairs to critical civilian infrastructure, including power lines on both sides of the contact line.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s freedom of movement continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Bezimenne*.

VIENNA, 25 October 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed today the release of several journalists in Turkey.

According to media reports, journalists of the now-closed Dicle News Agency (DIHA), Meltem Oktay and Uğur Akgül, were released following an objection by their legal representatives on their arrest. Moreover, it has been reported that the former Editor-in-Chief of Özgür Gündem, Hüseyin Aykol, and former Cumhuriyet accountant, Emre İper will also be released. These releases come after the judicial reform package was put into force yesterday.

“I welcome the release of four journalists and media workers today in Turkey, at a time when the new judicial reform is entering into force. Journalists should not spend even one day in prison on charges that are related to their professional activities. I urge the Turkish authorities to use this positive momentum and release all journalists who are still behind bars in the country,” Désir said. He stressed that this would be the first step, and that introducing additional reforms in ensuring better judicial protection of journalists is an imperative.

The Representative recalled that, among many others, he called for the release of Aykol and İper on numerous occasions, expressing his relief that they will finally be free. He added that freedom of expression and freedom of the media are core principles of democracy and as such should be protected.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

VIENNA, 25 October 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today about the order of the examining magistrate of the court in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to hold journalist Robert Bas in custody to leverage him to disclose his sources.

On 24 October, the court’s magistrate ordered the jailing of Bas, who works for NOS, which is part of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system, as a means of coercion, after he was summoned as a witness and refused to reveal his sources and answer the court’s questions in an ongoing murder case. Bas was summoned to testify about a telephone conversation he held with a source. The court’s magistrate partially denied the journalist his right to non-disclosure, as parts of the conversation were included in the court file.

“Respect for the confidentiality of journalists’ sources is a vital element of media freedom, recognized by international standards and OSCE commitments,” Désir said. “I call on the Dutch authorities to release journalist Bas from custody, and to ensure that all steps are taken to respect his privilege to keep his sources confidential.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on https://www.facebook.com/osce.rfom

TIRANA, 25 October 2019 — Making tangible steps towards a more strategic, action-oriented approach to co-operation between the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation was the focus of the two-day 2019 OSCE Mediterranean Conference, which concluded today in Tirana.

Discussions focused on security challenges posed by violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism, leveraging co-operation in areas such as empowering youth, fostering economic connectivity and digitalization. 

“We identified concrete proposals for the future of the Mediterranean partnership. And we now need to redouble our efforts and work together to put these proposals into practice,” said Albania’s Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj.

Some of the proposals discussed were: ensuring a higher level of political engagement; making the Partnership Fund more operational; ensuring greater flexibility to support practical co-operation projects; and further developing a sense of co-ownership and co-responsibility for the Partnership.

“As Albania prepares to assume the OSCE 2020 Chair, we are convinced that a reinforced political dialogue with all Partners for Co-operation is essential to fully capitalize on the unique platform that is the OSCE. Albania will promote closer political consultations with the Partners in 2020,” said Cakaj.

Secretary General Thomas Greminger said that further integrating Mediterranean issues, as some participating States have called for, ultimately hinges on the willingness of participating States to keep the Mediterranean high on the OSCE agenda. “If we want to support new projects of practical co-operation with Mediterranean Partners, more resources will be needed.”

“We also need to better articulate the added value that the OSCE can bring to Mediterranean initiatives,” said Greminger. “This requires assessing which policy areas are more suitable and promising for our future co-operation with the Partners.”

Participants agreed that the expectations of Partner countries — Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia — will have to remain at the center of discussions. “Mediterranean Partners have a key role to play in determining the future pace and path of our co-operation,” said Greminger. 

“I thank the Partners for their valuable contribution to this year’s productive and commemorative event, the 25thanniversary of the OSCE Mediterranean Partnership. In the months to come, we need to continue at the same pace, be proactive and creative,” said Cakaj.

Organized by the Albanian Chairmanship of the OSCE’s Mediterranean Contact Group under the title “Achievements, challenges and future opportunities for OSCE Mediterranean Partnership”, the conference was attended by a number of foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers and more than 250 high level representatives of the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions, international organizations, civil society, academia and media.

More information about the conference can be found here.  

STRASBOURG, 25 October 2019 – OSCE PA President George Tsereteli took part in the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, hosted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 24-25 October. The event, which gathered Speakers of Parliament from 47 countries on the Eurasian continent, provided an opportunity for productive discussions on common challenges in the region and on the role of parliaments and parliamentary diplomacy in international relations.

Addressing the session on “Our common European home: the next 70 years,” President Tsereteli called for investing in international co-operation and advocated an increased role for parliamentary diplomacy in the current challenging geopolitical context.

“If we look at the 70 years ahead of us, the picture will not be bright if we do not resolve the conflicts affecting our region and neighbourhood, where, first and foremost, our people are suffering and losing hope,” Tsereteli said.

“While Europe has truly become a common home after so many wars and conflicts, also thanks to the unprecedented will to preserve peace and advance human rights and fundamental freedoms, we cannot but acknowledge some worrying setbacks on agreed values and principles,” Tsereteli said. In this regard, he mentioned the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and the situation in Georgia.

“As elected representatives, we carry the additional responsibility of restoring the confidence of our citizens towards politics,” he said.

On the margins of the conference, the OSCE PA delegation met with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Liliane Maury Pasquier, the Secretary General of PACE, Wojciech Sawicki, and with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric.

The sides stressed the excellent co-operation they enjoy and discussed areas of common engagement, such as election observation and human rights promotion, and the challenges the two organizations face in addressing effectively current political and security issues. Furthermore, President Tsereteli and SG Pejcinovic Buric agreed to enhance synergies between the two organizations focusing on each other's comparative advantages to raise the overall impact of multilateral fora in the region.

OSCE PA Secretary General Montella and Deputy Secretary General Gustavo Pallares participated in the meeting of secretaries general focused on increasing parliamentary participation and impact.

“Parliamentarians are the bridge between citizens and institutions, they are sentinels of the needs and feelings of the people and they are key for the identification and implementation of effective policies,” Montella said. He also stressed the genuine desire of MPs to meet and discuss current challenges in multilateral fora, and presented OSCE PA efforts to expand the range of activities and ensure that long-term perspective policies can be effectively debated.

On the sidelines of the Conference, President Tsereteli and Secretary General Montella had fruitful exchanges with a number of Speakers of Parliament from across the OSCE region, including those of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. They also met with Inter-Parliamentary Assembly President Gabriela Cuevas Barron, as a follow-up to their participation in the IPU Assembly in Belgrade last week.

For President Tsereteli's full remarks to the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, please click here.

Photos of the OSCE PA's participation in the Strasbourg event are on Flickr.

Bratislava/VIENNA, 25 October 2019 – The 26th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will take place on 5 and 6 December 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The event will be held at the invitation of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák.

The Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The annual meeting is an opportunity for the Foreign Ministers of the 57 OSCE participating States to review and assess the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area, as well as the organization's work in all its fields of activity.

Journalists are invited to cover the event, which will be held at the Incheba Expo Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Advance accreditation of media representatives is mandatory. The deadline for registration is 6 p.m. on 15 November 2019. Accreditation will be granted following self-registration via https://media.mzv.sk

For detailed instructions, please consult the Registration Manual – Media.

Media representatives must indicate their full name, place and date of birth, passport number and nationality, postal address, e-mail address, name and country of media. Only registrations in Slovak or English will be accepted.

Media wishing to park vehicles for live broadcasting from the event (SNG trucks) in a designated parking area must register the SNG trucks and their drivers in advance.

For this purpose, please send an e-mail to media.osce@mzv.sk giving the following information: Type of vehicle, license plate number, name of the media company, full name of SNG crew members.

Visa requirements must be met before arrival in Slovakia. Accredited journalists are invited to make their own visa arrangements as soon as possible.

Follow the news about the Ministerial Council on Twitter at @OSCE, @Slovakia_OSCE and #OSCEMC19.

VIENNA / SARAJEVO, 25 October 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Kathleen Kavalec, strongly condemned today a death threat sent to Avdo Avdić, a journalist of the Žurnal news website.

On 24 October, a person with an alleged criminal background recorded a video message in which he insulted and threatened Avdić by saying that: “they will search for him in ditches”. According to media reports, this threat is closely related to Avdić’s investigative reporting on money laundering and other criminal offences.

“I strongly condemn this heinous threat, which is totally unacceptable. It is of utmost importance that the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina investigate this case without any delay, and bring the person responsible for this message to justice,” Désir said. “Journalists must be able to do their investigative work without fearing for their lives. Those who utter such threats must face the harshest justice. This is necessary to protect the safety of journalists.”

Ambassador Kavalec added: “The BiH authorities should take these threats seriously, and do everything in their power to prevent it from happening. Investigative journalists play an important role in exposing serious crimes and can aid the authorities in their investigations.”

Désir and Kavalec reiterated their concern that this is not an isolated case against Žurnal and Avdić.

They also recalled the Decision on Safety of Journalists adopted last December at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Milan, stressing that its implementation is of crucial importance for ensuring that media professionals can exercise their work in a safe manner.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

436814 Communication and Media Relations Section

A three-day training course aimed at further strengthening the capacity of Uzbekistan to counter terrorist financing concluded in Tashkent on 25 October 2019.

The training seminar was delivered to twenty-five Uzbek experts and practitioners from the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Academy of the General Prosecutors Office, the Department at the General Prosecutors Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The course was organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s Global Programme against Money Laundering and its Regional Office for Central Asia. The training was delivered by international experts together with four local government officials who were trained in a train-the-trainers course in Vienna organized by the OSCE and the UNODC.

The aim of the training course was to assist Uzbekistan in implementing international standards, in particular UN Security Council Resolutions, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF)’s recommendations, OSCE and UN commitments.

Based on country- and region-specific scenarios, the training course included sessions on national, regional and transnational threats, sources of information and money flows, including hawala (a traditional system of transferring money). More than half of the course was devoted to practical exercises highlighting specific instruments and techniques that play an important role in countering the financing of terrorism. The course emphasized the key role of inter-agency co-operation in countering terrorist financing. 

The course was organized with the financial support of Germany as part of a comprehensive multiannual capacity-building programme to assist national efforts to counter terrorist financing in Central Asia.  

This report is for the media and the general public.

SUMMARY

On 25 October at 10:45 (Moscow time), a convoy of 27 vehicles arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). All 27 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine.

DETAIL

Leaving the Russian Federation

On 25 October at 10:45, the Observer Mission observed the arrival of a convoy of vehicles from the Russian Federation at the gate of the Donetsk BCP. The group consisted of 27 vehicles: one escort minibus and 26 new vehicles of different types without licence plates.

Details of the vehicles are as follows: one escort minibus, type “Mercedes Sprinter” with “LPR” plates; six ambulances, type “Gazel Next”, with a sign "Reanimation" in front and "Urgent medical help" on the sides, in Russian language; five ambulances type “Gazel”, with signs "Urgent Medical help" on the sides in Russian language; six tractors with excavators  fixed, type “Belarus 821”; three graders, type "Orel"; two trucks type “Kamaz Frigo”;  three dump trucks type “ Kamaz”; and one small excavator for road works, loaded in one of the “Kamaz” dump trucks. No passengers were observed in the escorting minibus.

All vehicles, except for the escort minibus, were new, and without licence plates. The vehicles queued in the customs area and underwent border control procedures.

By 12:12, all vehicles had left the BCP towards Ukraine.

437018 Marina Živaljević

Parliamentary oversight of the security sector was the topic of a two-day workshop organized in Podgorica by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro for members of the country’s parliament and parliamentary staff on 24 and 25 October 2019.

Peter Vanhotte, a former Belgian MP with over 15 years of experience working with parliaments in the region and around the world, led the interactive workshop. The participants examined the basics and practical approaches of parliamentary oversight of the police, defence and intelligence, the relevant legislative framework, and how classified information should be handled.

John Corrigan, the Mission’s Security Co-operation and Governance Programme Manager, said that while challenges may vary from country to country in the region, it must be acknowledged that all parliamentarians are confronted by a rapidly changing environment, in which information is more available, more instantaneous and more difficult to verify than ever before.

“This makes parliaments a uniquely valuable resource that should be proudly recognized and supported. It is the intention of the OSCE to continue to work together to build Montenegro’s parliamentary capacity to deliver high-quality information services to parliamentarians for its citizens,” said Corrigan.

Both through the Democratization and the Programme for Security Co-operation and Governance, the Mission will continue to support the parliament in its efforts to further strengthen the parliamentary services and its efficiency, as well as the work and the oversight role of the parliamentary committees.

437009 Željka Šulc

More than 20 students of law, political, and security studies from universities in Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla and Zenica learnt about the security sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) at a five-day OSCE-supported Youth and Security School, which concluded on 25 October 2019 in Sarajevo.

“The Youth and Security School is envisaged to complement the education of young persons from all over BiH and inspire their leadership in the area of security reform, since we recognize them as important partners in the process of this systemic and societal change“, said Susan Penksa, Head of the Department of Security Co-operation of the OSCE Mission to BiH. “The goal of the School is to introduce youth to the concept of good governance in the security sector, allow them to examine the security challenges of BiH and discuss possible solutions, while promoting the OSCE’s interdisciplinary approach to ensuring a safe, secure and stable society.“

The students visited the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Ministry of Security, the Armed Forces of BiH, as well as police agencies and media outlets. Meeting different government officials and security professionals helped the participants to gain knowledge about these institutions and gave them an insight into the complexity of the overall security system of BiH.

“We had an opportunity to learn about the practical work of institutions dealing with security and see how the system functions in practice. Now we have a more complete picture of the security challenges facing Bosnia and Herzegovina and how to combat them,” said Ajdin Zametica, a master studies student at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Sarajevo.  

The School is designed as an instrument of security and confidence-building measures as well as building trust in the security and defence institutions in BiH.

“We live in a rather complex country and the very exchange of opinions between students from universities from across BiH gave me an insight into what young people need, what they perceive as a problem in this country and what they would like to improve,” stated Ana Bašić, a student of master studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University in Mostar. “The school also opens possibilities for our future joint engagement and co-operation.”

This is the fifth Youth and Security School organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in co-operation with the BiH Council of Ministers’ Inter-Ministerial Working Group for Monitoring the Implementation of BiH Security Policy.  

COPENHAGEN, 25 October 2019 – In response to reports that the current U.S. administration is considering withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty, a multilateral agreement establishing a system of unarmed observation flights over the territories of 34 State Parties, Filippo Lombardi, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Political Affairs and Security, issued the following statement:

“It is with some concern that I have been following the news about a possible U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty. For many years, this treaty has provided a framework for greater openness and transparency in military activities and has substantially enhanced security through concrete confidence-building measures and co-operation. Not only is the treaty one of the signature achievements of the OSCE, it is indeed one of the most significant accomplishments of the post-Cold War era, providing a strong basis for transparency, accountability and co-operation in military affairs.

“In these times of heightened tensions between East and West, we need more confidence-building and security, not less. I strongly urge the United States to remain a party to the treaty and pursue any grievances it may have through established diplomatic channels, including the Open Skies Consultative Commission at the OSCE.”

In the OSCE PA’s Istanbul Declaration of 2013, the Assembly noted that the Open Skies Treaty is “a unique measure of confidence, openness and transparency.” The 2018 Berlin Declaration highlighted “the substantial contribution of the Open Skies Treaty as a confidence- and security-building measure aimed at promoting transparency, trust and predictability regarding military capabilities.”

For more information on the Open Skies Treaty, please visit the OSCE's website.

437048 Kunduz Rysbek

More than 25 canine officers (K-9) of the State Committee for National Security, Ministry of Interior and the State Customs Services (KSCS) completed OSCE-supported advanced train–the-trainers courses at the World Customs Organization’s Regional Training Centre in Bishkek from 7 to 25 October 2019.

These three-week training courses aimed at building the capacity of K-9 officers by providing an advanced theoretical knowledge and practical techniques for the detection of explosives, narcotic substances, currency, and animal derivatives that fall under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The K-9 teams were exposed to various scenarios whereby they had to find markers with pseudo bombs, illegal substances, currencies, and animal derivatives placed in cars, buildings, rail wagons, parking areas and other simulated zones at the Regional Training Centre premises. At the end of each week, the canine officers completed a written test and competition-based exercise.

The training courses were organized by the State Customs Service of the Kyrgyz Republic in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.  

The KSCS Training Centre in Bishkek was recognized as a World Customs Organization’s Regional Training Centre in 2018 with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek. Since then, the Centre has been expanding its geographic coverage and enhancing the quality of the training courses for customs officers it provides in the OSCE region and beyond, contributing to regional co-operation.