About: OSCE
Seventeen OSCE nations appoint team to probe Belarus election fraud, torture
Seventeen members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have appointed an independent team of experts to investigate alleged rights violations in Belarus' August presidential election.
Belarus engulfed in ninth night of protests as Lukashenko heckled
Demonstrators descended on the Belarusian capital on Monday (17 August) for a ninth night of protests against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, who was heckled by factory workers as pressure grows on him to step down.OpinionStakeholder Opinion
Dangerous trends in Armenia – Azerbaijan conflict
Although currently it seems that there is “relative calm” on the border, Armenia and Azerbaijan continue fighting verbally on the social media and, more dangerously, physically in foreign countries where they have settled, writes Vasif Huseynov.
Ukraine’s government and pro-Russian separatists agree ceasefire deal
Ukrainian, Russian and negotiators from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reached an agreement on Wednesday (22 July) for a full ceasefire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine from 27 July.OpinionStakeholder Opinion
Five reasons why Armenia is resorting to military provocation
Azay Guliyev explains why recent clashes at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be taken seriously by the international community.
OSCE facing leadership crisis
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is facing an unprecedented leadership crisis, after failing to agree an extension of its four most senior posts, leaving many in Europe worried about how it will continue to work until successors are chosen in December.
Azeri official: EU should distinguish between aggressor and subject of aggression
In an exclusive interview, Hikmat Hajiev, head of the foreign affairs department of Azerbaijan’s presidential administration, explains the stakes of a recent armed clash at the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which he calls a deliberate provocation from Yerevan.
Azeri official points at ‘mafia’ as obstacle to solving Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
In an exclusive interview, a high official of Azerbaijan pointed at mafia-type relations between the unrecognized authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh and the government in Armenia as an obstacle for solving the long-lasting conflict. Hikmat Hajiev, head of the foreign affairs department...
Can the coronavirus crisis impact on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution?
Now, when the world is immersed in an enduring coronavirus crisis, it will be quite difficult for Armenia to carry this additional burden, writes Gulshan Pashayeva. Dr Gulshan Pashayeva is Board member of the Center of Analysis of International Relations...
Nagorno-Karabakh holds ‘elections’ despite international criticism and virus concerns
The authorities of the internationally unrecognised breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh are holding presidential and parliamentary elections amid international criticism and despite the coronavirus pandemic.
EU demands access to Donbas for international organisations during coronavirus restrictions
Russian-backed armed formations in the breakaway Donbas region have since Saturday (21 March) denied access to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) mission monitoring the conflict, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported on Tuesday.
Risk still there for Ukraine to become frozen conflict – OSCE chief
Despite recent rapprochement between Ukraine and Russia, the full implementation of the Minsk agreements is still "miles away" and there is still a risk that the separatist regions could turn into another "frozen conflict", OSCE Secretary-General, Thomas Greminger, said in an interview with EURACTIV.
OSCE warns Ukraine over disinformation bill
A new bill aimed at curbing the spread of disinformation in Ukraine could pose a risk to freedom of expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe warned on Wednesday (5 February).
Europeans alarmed as US mulls pull-out of yet another arms control treaty
Washington's threat to leave the Open Skies Treaty, a pact allowing countries to conduct surveillance flights over each other’s territory, has left Europeans concerned that yet another landmark arms control accord might suffer the same fate as the Intermediate-Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Observers slam Belarus polls for flouting democratic norms
Parliamentary polls in Belarus did not show respect for democracy, international observers said Monday (18 November), after the opposition to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko failed to win a single seat.
Donbas foes to pull back troops ahead of Normandy-type summit
Ukraine's army and Kremlin-backed separatists are set Friday (8 November) to complete the last phase of a troop pullback in the war-torn east in a key step towards a high-stakes summit with Russia.
Donbas foes fail to pull back troops in new push
Ukrainian soldiers and Moscow-backed separatists on Monday (4 November) failed to begin the last phase of a troop pullback in the war-torn eastern Ukraine, delaying a high-stakes summit with Russia.
EU calls ‘unacceptable’ the tensions at Georgia occupation line
The ambassador of the EU to Georgia called “unacceptable” on Friday (30 August) the tensions and confrontational language at the “border” between Georgia and its occupied territory of South Ossetia.
Tokayev triumphs in Kazakh elections amid tensions
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the political “child” of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev who ruled Kazakhstan since Soviet times, was overwhelmingly elected as the new leader of the country on Sunday (9 June), in a vote closely watched by international observers.
Kazakhstan calls EU’s new Central Asia strategy ‘visionary’
Kazakhstan welcomes the EU's new vision for a stronger partnership with Central Asia, particularly as it took into account the country's proposals, its deputy foreign minister told EURACTIV and called the document, due to be adopted next month, "visionary".
Yet another awful pinnacle in the recent history of journalism
Violent attacks against journalists do not happen in a vacuum, their ground is prepared by the prevailing political and social environment. Harlem Désir explains how we have reached yet another milestone in the mistreatment of journalists.
Beyond #metoo: We need to tackle violence against women and girls
Women and girls in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe live in danger. This is what a new survey published by the OSCE just ahead of this International Women’s Day tells us, says OSCE's Thomas Greminger upon publication of the new report.
France, Russia and US ‘working closely together’ on Nagorno-Karabakh
Positive momentum in the search for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been confirmed in recent days, with fresh meetings and more shuttle diplomacy in the region.