Good news for a change

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) took the decision on Friday 20.3. to deploy a Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. OSCE will send 100 experts to Ukraine to monitor and report about the security situation. Human rights and rights of persons belonging to minorities will also be central in the mission’s work. Finland is also ready to send experts to the mission.  Long and difficult negotiations were needed to reach agreement on the Special Monitoring Mission, and the agreement is a small but important sign of the international community’s will to overcome the crisis together. The decision of the mission was made by consensus among OSCE’s 57 participating states, among them all EU-countries, Ukraine, US and Russia. It is important that Russia is thus taking part in the common international efforts in Ukraine.This is not a solution to the crisis, but may hopefully help to prevent its deepening and expansion. For this reason enlargening and strengthening the mission is also needed.22.3. 2014