May 2014 Plenary Meetings of the Permanent Council

The Chairperson, Greece-European the United States of America, the Russian Federation, Albania, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey, the Holy See, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, San Marino, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Armenia, Turkmenistan, the Secretary General, Mongolia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Australia (Partner for Co-operation) extended condolences to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia in connection with the recent flooding in those countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia thanked delegations for their expressions of condolences. Report by the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Ambassador Sergei Kapinos. Report by the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Dr. Pal Dunay. Permanent Council Decision No. 1123 on approval of the 2014 Unified Budget (Russian Federation, also on behalf of Belarus, interpretative statement 1; United States of America, interpretative statement 2; Armenia, interpretative statement 3; Canada, interpretative statement 4; Greece-European Union, interpretative statement 5). Ongoing violations of OSCE principles and commitments by the Russian Federation and the situation in Ukraine. Presidential elections in Ukraine, to be held on 25 May 2015. Election rights in the European Union. Human rights violations and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in Belarus. International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, observed on 17 May 2014. Presidential elections in Afghanistan, held on 5 April 2014. Report on the activities of the Chairperson-in-Office. Bicentenary of Norway’s Constitution, observed on 17 May 2014.

The Chairperson, the Holy See, the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Greece-European Union, Armenia, the United States of America, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Canada, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Moldova extended condolences to Turkey in connection with the coal-mine disaster on 13 May 2014 in Soma. Turkey thanked delegations for their expressions of condolences. The Chairperson, on behalf of the Permanent Council, welcomed the new Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the OSCE, H.E. Ambassador Marios Ieronymides, and the new Permanent Representative of Spain to the OSCE, H.E. Ambassador Jorge Domecq. Report by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador György Szabó. Report by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan. Ongoing violations of OSCE principles and commitments by the Russian Federation and the situation in Ukraine. Situation of civil society in Azerbaijan. Twentieth anniversary of the ceasefire regime in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The death penalty in Belarus. Permanent Council Decision No. 1122 on the dates and agenda of the 2014 Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting. Report on the activities of the Chairperson-in-Office. Announcement by the Chairperson-in-Office, in a letter issued on 15 May 2014 (see the annex to this journal), of the adoption through a silence procedure of Ministerial Council Decision No. 2/14, on the extension of the appointment of the OSCE Secretary General (see MC.DEC/2/14, the text of which is appended to this journal).