Deployment of OSCE observers to the Russian Federation one element to de-escalate situation, Chair says, calling for further and broader measures to follow suit

Bern, July 24, 2014 – Noting today’s consensus decision of the OSCE Permanent Council to deploy an Observer Mission to two checkpoints of Donetsk and Gukovo on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, stressed the confidence-building character of this measure.

He underlined that further and broader measures will be necessary in order to have borders effectively secured by competent authorities. Reliable border control is a key element in a bigger set of measures to bring back stability in Ukraine, Burkhalter said. Recalling that the new OSCE Mission came about following the Berlin Joint Declaration of July 2 by the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France, he added that political will by all sides and meaningful dialogue remain indispensable to develop cooperative solutions to resolve this crisis.

The Permanent Council, accepting the invitation of the Russian Federation, today decided that an OSCE Observer Mission will be tasked with monitoring and reporting on the situation at the Russian checkpoints at Donetsk and Gukovo, as well as on movements across the Russian-Ukrainian border. 16 monitors can be deployed for an initial duration of three months, which can be extended subject to another decision by the Permanent Council.