Rostov-on-Don - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Council has extended the mandate of its monitoring mission in the Russian Rostov region for three months, until March 23, 2015.
“The composition of the permanent group and the border checkpoints at which the mission members are stationed are unchanged. The OSCE mission in the Rostov region still consists of 22 monitors who are recording cargo and human traffic across the Donetsk and Gukovo checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border round the clock seven days a week,” a source in the regional government’s information policy department told Interfax.
A decision whether the mission chief, Paul Picard, keeps his post will be made in two or three days.
The Rostov region authorities have a positive opinion on the work of the mission at checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
“Weekly reports sent to the OSCE Council by the international observers stationed at the Donetsk and Gukovo checkpoints are having an indirect positive effect on the attitude of EU member countries to the Russian position and their assessment of the military conflict in southeastern areas of Ukraine,” Rostov Region Deputy Governor Vadim Artemov who is in charge of humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees told Interfax.
The OSCE mission mandate in the Rostov region has been extended for the third time.
The first 19 observers were deployed on the Russian-Ukrainian border on July 30 following a joint decision by the Russian Foreign Ministry and the OSCE Council. The first monitoring group worked for three months and its mandate was extended for one month in October. The mandate was extended again in November and the number of monitors was increased to 22.
