OSCE Head, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid said that the OSCE will soon stop the work of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. This was reported in a statement by the OSCE press service..

It is noted that such a decision was the result of a lack of consensus at the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on March 31, 2022 on the continuation of the Mission's mandate.

" We considered all possible options through political dialogue with the participating States to achieve a 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 played a critical role in providing objective information on the ground, facilitating a ceasefire and working to mitigate the effects of the conflict on civilians.. The work of the SMM members deserves our high appreciation and appreciation,” Rau said..

At the same time, he added that the OSCE will continue its activities in Ukraine in accordance with the existing commitments of the organization.

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Schmid added that the Mission has played an important role for 8 years, providing objective information about events on the ground and? facilitating dialogue between the parties.

“The OSCE will immediately take operational, administrative and financial steps to close the Mission in the most responsible and cost-effective manner, while the safety of Mission members throughout Ukraine remains a priority,” Schmid said..