OSCE initiates process to shut down project office in Ukraine after Russia’s turndown

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid announced on July 1 that entity has initiated process of closing project office of coordinators in Ukraine.

“Regrettably, despite overwhelming support from participating States for continuation of important work that Project Co-ordinator has carried out for 23 years, no consensus on its mandate extension was reached due to position of Russian Federation,” Chairman-in-Office, Zbigniew Rau stated.

He furr ded that Polish chairmanship will make every effort to preserve Project coordinator's invaluable experience and expertise gained in country, as well as to ensure that OSCE remains present and engaged with Ukraine. It should be noted that all mandated activities end on July 1.

He furr emphasised, "Today, when country is facing unprecedented challenges and hardships due to ongoing war, our support is more important than ever."

Following a unanimous decision by all participating States, OSCE Project coordinator in Ukraine was established on June 1, 1999. Since its deployment, OSCE Project coordinator has assisted Ukraine in its reform efforts by carrying out critical work in a variety of areas. se range from assisting victims of conflict and crisis, combating human trafficking, and assisting country in its humanitarian demining efforts, to environmental protection and media freedom.

Russia-Ukraine war

Thousands of troops have ended up de, billions of dollars in military hardware have been utilised, entire cities have been bombarded, however, Russia's aggressive military campaign in Ukraine continues unabated after more than four months. Forecasts for when war will end now vary greatly. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that it could last for years whereas Western intelligence agencies have reportedly stated that Russia's combat capabilities may be depleted in coming months.

After shifting its focus to Ukraine's east, Russia has nearly completed capture of Luhansk province and is likely to continue its efforts until it has completed capture of rest of Donetsk province - se two areas form Donbass region. On Wednesday, Russian President Vlimir Putin stated that "it is pointless to set an end date" for what Russia refers to as a "special military operation in Ukraine," ding that goal of "liberating" Donbass remained unchanged.

Image: AP