Efforts to counter anti-Semitism and all forms of intolerance crucial as ever, says OSCE on 70th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation
BELGRADE/AUSCHWITZ/VIENNA, 27 January 2015 – As people across the OSCE region today commemorated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, OSCE officials highlighted the importance for societies to stand firmly against the contemporary challenges of anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of intolerance. “This anniversary...
OSCE PA President calls on Russia to close border with Ukraine
COPENHAGEN, 27 January 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) today called on Russia to close its international border with Ukraine to help counter the alarming increase in violence in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. “Russian leaders have spoken of their support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in...
Roundtable “Middle class in Ukraine: life values, readiness for association, and promotion of democratic standards”
On 16 December 2014, the Razumkov Centre, with the financial support of the Government of Canada, provided through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), held the roundtable Middle Class in Ukraine: Life Values, Readiness to the Association, and Promotion of Democratic Standards. A special issue of the journal National...
Ukrainian army is far from ready to recapture lost territory in Donbas
Ukraine has beefed up its army: another 50,000 citizens will be mobilised this year, the Economist writes. Yet the army is far from ready to recapture lost territory, says Co-director of Foreign Relations and International Security Programmes at the Razumkov Centre Oleksiy Melnyk. …read more Source: Razumkov...
Litvinenko Death Probe Opens, Kremlin Blasts S&P’s ‘Junk’ Rating
Plus, aid agencies criticize travel restrictions on Ukraine’s separatist zones, and uranium-rich Kazakhstan mulls the benefits of nuclear power. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
The militants have expanded their territory in Donbas by 500 sq km since September
Pro-Russian rebels have vowed to conquer more territory in eastern Ukraine and ruled out peace talks after Kiev retreated from a long-disputed airport, casting aside Europe’s latest push for a truce, the Gulf Times writes. “We know that the militants have expanded their territory by 500sq km (since the September truce),” Co-director of...
The Minsk peace did not specify which side should keep control of the Donetsk airport
The shiny new terminal building at Donetsk airport opened just in time to welcome fans to the European soccer championships in 2012. In recent months, bullets and shells are all that have flown in and out, the Bloomberg writes. Loss of the airport on the northwest edge of Donetsk “would have a strong demoralizing effect,” Co-director of Foreign...
What Is the Future for Donbas?
This past weekend’s intensified fighting and shelling in southeastern Ukraine, from Donetsk to Mariupol, escalated the Ukraine crisis to a new level. As more people die, political negotiations and eventual diplomatic compromise look less and less likely. What, under these circumstances, does the future hold for Donbas? …read more...
Russia’s Preemptive Counter-Revolution
Russia’s return to dictatorship does not represent any form of continuity with the country’s imperial ambition, cultural traditions, or national character. As the Ukraine crisis shows, President Vladimir Putin’s only interest is in protecting his regime and its elites. …read more Source: Project...
OSCE Representative condemns attack on journalists covering demonstrations in Prishtinë/Priština
VIENNA, 26 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned a recent attack on three journalists covering demonstrations in Prishtinë/Priština. On 24 January reporter Aleksandra Jovanovic and cameraman Bojan Košanin, both from Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), and reporter Vladimir Milic from Radio...
