News from Russia's Near Abroad

Remember nazi Andriy Parubiy, the darling of the western press and source of most of their (dis)information. It seems he has resigned

Ukraine's security chief submits resignation — media

The secretary's press service said they had no information on his resignation

ITAR TASS,

5 August, 2014

KIEV, August 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Andriy Parubiy, the secretary of the Ukrainian national security and defense council, allegedly submitted resignation two weeks ago, a Ukrainian online edition reported on Monday.

"Parubiy made this decision after he was proposed to announce a new stage of ceasefire in the counter-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine," ZN.UA said citing an unnamed source.

ZN.UA said that Parubiy refused to make this announcement and decided to step down.

The secretary's press service said they had no information on his resignation.

OSCE observers start working on Russia-Ukraine border

The first group of monitors from the OSCE permanent observer mission came to Rostov region Tuesday to work in districts bordering Ukraine

ITAR TASS,

5 August, 2014

ROSTOV-ON-DON, July 30. /ITAR-TASS/. OSCE observers started working on Russian-Ukrainian border, head of OSCE mission in the region Paul Picard told reporters on Wednesday. Four representatives of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are working in Russia’s southern Rostov region, he said.

“We have gathered the first group which is ready to start working and a large amount of work is in store for us. Four observers are already working here. I work here as the chief observer and there are three members of administrative personnel. New observers will be included in the group soon,” Picard said.

In his words, the OSCE mission will be monitoring operation of border-crossing points Gukovo and Donetsk.

The first group of monitors from the OSCE permanent observer mission came to Rostov region Tuesday to work in districts bordering Ukraine.

A total of 13 OSCE members from eight countries, including France, Great Britain, Hungary, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine came to the region.

Representatives of the OSCE mission who came to Russia’s southern Rostov region have protective equipment for operation in dangerous zones and are co-operating with regional law enforcement agencies, chief of the OSCE mission Paul Picard told reporters on Wednesday.

“OSCE employees have equipment to protect themselves - bullet-proof vests and helmets. We are also working with security services in Rostov region,” Picard said. He thanked regional authorities who help the OSCE mission.

The OSCE mission in Russia’s southern Rostov region will be extended for more than three months, if all 57 OSCE member states take a specific decision, chief of the OSCE mission in Rostov region Paul Picard told reporters on Wednesday

Has anyone other than me wondered why this old conflict should flare up right now?

UN head urges Azerbaijan, Armenia to observe ceasefire regime in Nagorno-Karabakh

Ban Ki-moon also expressed full support to the efforts taken by the OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement of the situation

ITAR TASS,

5 August, 2014

UNITED NATIONS, August 05, 5:01 /ITAR-TASS/. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday expressed concern over reports of incidents in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The UN press service said the UN chief urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to abstain from violence and observe the ceasefire regime agreement.

Ban also expressed full support to the efforts taken by the OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement of the situation.

“Mr. Ban said he shares the deep concerns expressed by the Co-Chairs of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, the group driving efforts to find a peaceful solution to conflict, and other international partners. Mr. Ban “urges all parties to respect the ceasefire agreement, refrain from further violence and commit themselves to immediate de-escalation and continuing dialogue in the pursuit of a rapid and peaceful political solution,” according to the statement.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which was an autonomous region during Soviet times, has been at the centre of a dispute between the neighbouring countries since they became independent in the early 1990s.

The recent upsurge in tension and violence along the Line of Contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is being described by media reports as the worst flare-up in many years. Aiming to resolve what he described as a “dangerous situation,” Mr. Ban expressed his full support for the efforts by the OSCE and other parties working to resolve the conflict.

According to the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, as a result of worsening of the situation in recent days, 12 Azerbaijani troops have been killed and several injured. There have been no reports on the Armenian casualties, but it became known on Monday that a 25-year-old Armenian soldier was killed in a shootout. Both side have blamed each other for the incidents.