VIENNA, April 10 (RIA Novosti) – The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe could risk jeopardizing other important projects by focusing on the situation in Ukraine, the head of the OSCE monitoring mission to the crisis-hit country said Thursday.
“Whilst I do appreciate your generous contributions, both human and financial, I would not like to see them jeopardize our operations elsewhere,” Adam Kobieracki said at an OSCE Permanent Council briefing on Ukraine in Vienna.
Kobieracki, the acting chief of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, added that heads of several other OSCE missions in Southeast Europe and Central Asia have stated they can no longer secure funding for their operations if the organization continues to prioritize activities in Ukraine.
He said the mission’s current staff of 121 people in Ukraine, including 85 monitors, should be expanded by another 100 monitors, a recommendation made as he handed over his position to the newly-appointed Ertugrul Apakan of Turkey.
Kobieracki stressed that before undertaking the expansion, OSCE must “assure it will keep supporting the mission financially,” as the organization has yet to secure enough funding for the first 100 monitors.
Apart from the financial challenge, the mission faces confusion in Ukraine as to the purpose of the organization's presence in the country, Kobieracki added, admitting that such misunderstanding cannot be resolved overnight.
Apakan, the newly-appointed chief of the mission, closed the briefing by promising “the objective information collected by the monitoring mission to Ukraine should contribute to defusing tensions in the country.”
