The decision was the result of a lack of consensus in the OSCE Permanent Council on the extension of the Mission's mandate.
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid stated that the OSCE would soon suspend the work of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine . This is stated in a statement by the OSCE press service.
It is noted that this decision was due to the lack of consensus in the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on March 31, 2022 on the extension of the mandate of the Mission.
“It's not an easy decision. We considered all possible options through political dialogue with the participating States to achieve the renewal of the mandate of the Special Monitoring Mission, but the position of the Russian Federation left no choice but to take measures to close the Mission. The mission has been instrumental in providing objective information on the ground, promoting a ceasefire and mitigating the effects of the conflict on the civilian population. The work of the SMM members deserves our high appreciation and gratitude, “Rau said.
At the same time, he added that the OSCE will continue its activities in Ukraine in accordance with the organization's existing commitments.
” The Polish presidency will continue to work with member states to explore alternatives to the future role of the OSCE in Ukraine, “Rau said.
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Schmid added that the Mission had played an important role for 8 years in providing objective information on developments on the ground and promoting dialogue between the parties.
Mission, while the safety of Mission members throughout Ukraine will remain a priority, “Schmid said.
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