EU says OSCE SMM must have access to Crimea
Ukrinform
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) must have, as stipulated by its mandate, access to all Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea.
This was said in the EU statement on Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and illegal occupation of Crimea, which was made public at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on Thursday, July 30, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"In accordance with its mandate, the SMM must have access to the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia," the statement reads.
The EU delegation noted that the SMM remains a source of reliable information on the situation on the ground and therefore its freedom of movement should not be restricted.
ish
