Germany thanks Russia for helping rescue OSCE observer group

According to Germany's Focus, the OSCE observer team returned safely to Berlin.

On the evening of May 3, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked Russia for helping to rescue the observer group.

At a press conference in Berlin yesterday, Foreign Minister Steinmeier and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the rescue operation for the OSCE observer team was a great success.

The two ministers expressed their gratitude to those directly involved in the negotiations for the release of the OSCE observers for their “tireless efforts and tough diplomacy”, including the OSCE negotiating teams and the crisis management team of the German Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Minister Steinmeier and Defense Minister von der Leyen also specifically thanked Russian President Putin personally, whose special envoy was sent to Slavyansk to help rescue the kidnapped hostages.

According to Germany's Focus, the OSCE observer team returned safely to Berlin.

Earlier, at the end of last week, protesters in Slaviansk detained 7 OSCE observers and 5 Ukrainian assistants after the group entered the city. Russia, as a member of the OSCE, helped to arrange the release of the detained staff./.

According to VOV