OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani will be in Armenia and Azerbaijan on April 11-13, and will hold meetings with high-ranking officials, parliamentarians, and civil society representatives.
The OSCE informs that the purpose of Osmani's visit is to strengthen cooperation between the countries of the region and the organization, to solve existing security challenges and to promote peace and stability in the South Caucasus through dialogue.
Yesterday, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office visited Tbilisi, held a number of meetings with the country's Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker, President, Foreign Minister, as well as civil society representatives. After that, Osmani went to the Odzisi checkpoint near the contact line with South Ossetia to learn about the developments there. He expressed his concern that the situation created in Odzisi contradicts the fundamental principles of the OSCE, he emphasized that the free movement of people should be restored.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office left Georgia for Azerbaijan.
COUNTER-ATTACK CAN BEGIN THIS SUMMER: PRIME MINISTER OF UKRAINE
The West is not putting pressure on Kyiv regarding the counter-offensive dates, we feel such pressure more from the Ukrainian society, the country's Prime Minister said.
“All our friends understand that we have to be 100 percent ready to launch a counterattack. It can start already this summer,” Denis Schmihal added.
He emphasized that Kyiv needs additional help to prepare for a counter-offensive. “We need more artillery, ammunition, medium and long-range missiles, tanks and fighters,” said the Prime Minister.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LEAK OF SECRET DOCUMENTS ARE BEING INVESTIGATED
Washington is investigating the circumstances surrounding the leak of top-secret documents from the Pentagon. They contain information about the work of US security services and military agencies. Washington is also examining the impact the documents could have on allies and partners. The media reports that the incident even forced Kyiv to change its "military plans".
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the United States will do everything possible to find out the source and extent of the leak. Before that, Fox News writes that the source of the leaked American secret documents appearing on social networks could be the Central Intelligence Agency or the US National Security Agency.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also informed at the press conference with Austin that the US is holding discussions with its allies regarding the situation, and assured that Washington is committed to its alliance commitments. Blinken also spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and reaffirmed his readiness to continue support for Kyiv.
Reuters agency writes that according to secret documents, Serbia, the only country in Europe that refused to impose sanctions against Russia, provided deadly weapons to Kyiv. The Minister of Defense of Serbia denied these reports. “Belgrade has not sold weapons and will not sell them either to Kyiv or to Moscow,” Miloš Vučević said.
8,490 CIVILIAN PERSONS KILLED IN UKRAINE: UN
The UN has announced that 8,490 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, and the number of injured is 14,244. At the same time, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasizes that these figures do not reflect the true picture of losses among Ukrainian residents. The number of victims and wounded is definitely higher.
It is noted that the office is waiting for information about victims from some settlements where the most intense fighting was recorded. It is about Mariupol, Izyum, Lisichansk, Popasna and Severodonetsk.
