Tsymbaliuk: OSCE SMM starts to acknowledge it works with Crimea

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has begun to officially acknowledge its activities in relation to the annexed Crimea, although the occupiers do not physically allow the Mission to enter the peninsula.

"Of course, we can't talk about real achievements yet. But the most important thing is that the Mission has started to officially acknowledge that it works with Crimea. Yes, it is not physically allowed [to enter the peninsula], but just six months ago the SMM leadership tried to avoid discussing Crimea. Thus, there is some political progress in this issue," Permanent Representative of Ukraine to International Organizations in Vienna Yevhen Tsymbaliuk said in a commentary to an Ukrinform own correspondent.

At a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in April, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Yaşar Halit Çevik stated that the SMM was dealing with Crimea, working to the extent possible and collecting relevant material. In the future, this activity may result in a separate report on Crimea.  

During the weekly meetings of the OSCE Permanent Council, the Ukrainian delegation regularly emphasizes the need to ensure the SMM's access to the Crimean peninsula which is temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. These calls are increasingly supported by partner countries, notably the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which also point to the need to extend the SMM's mandate to the entire territory of Ukraine, including Crimea.

"The Ukrainian delegation and our Western partners call for monitoring of the situation in Crimea. After all, UN human rights monitoring missions, in case of inability to enter the territory, conduct surveys of people who come from there, monitor the media, work with lawyers and human rights activists," the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to International Organizations in Vienna said.

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