The original idea behind town twinning was to help the people of Europe to know and understand each other better. A twinning link is normally defined as a friendship agreement involving co-operation between two communities in different countries. Twinning provides the opportunity to find out more about the daily lives of citizens in other European countries, to talk to them and exchange experiences, and to develop joint projects on issues of common interest, such as local integration, the environment, economic development, and cultural differences. The Town twinning movement has developed after the Second World War, in parallel to the progress made by the European integration process. One of the major developments was the establishment of new town twinning links between EU Member States and countries from Central or Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, anticipating and preparing their integration in the European Union. First, town twinning relies upo...
Tensions remained in parts of Donbas. The situation was calm elsewhere across the country. In Kharkiv the situation remained calm. The situation in parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions was tense and unchanged compared to the previous reporting period. In the northern part of the Luhansk region, the Special Monitoring (Mission) SMM monitored four checkpoints, with the main focus on the checkpoint at the Svatovo-Severodonetsk junction. The SMM observed military traffic and talked to local residents going into the conflict zone as well as people leaving it. The SMM observed a bus with women and children from Rubezhnoye (100 km north of Luhansk). The SMM talked to passengers on several buses travelling to Svatovo and Lisychansk respectively. Most of the passengers, having spent some time away from the conflict zone, were going back to look after their elderly relatives, who had not left. The SMM observed heavy military equipment being transported by ...
The Ukrainian government needs the help of the OSCE. Alone, he can’t win. Then, the OSCE Permanent Council decided to extend the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine for a further six months. Maybe, the SMM will be able to continue to play its crucial role in assisting Ukraine in de-escalating measures. 57 States All participating States work together in the mission. They support financially and in terms of personnel. This consensus indicates that the scope for a co-operative solution to the Ukraine crisis persists among the 57 participating States even under the current challenging circumstances. The timely extension of the current mandate will expire on September 20, 2014. That allows the mission to operate uninterrupted. The value of impartially verified information and objective reporting on developments on the ground cannot be overestimated in tense and volatile situations. The SMM has also proven to be a useful facilitator of contacts...
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