News and press releases

Some 40 representatives from regional civil society organizations of the South Caucasus and international NGOs took part in a discussion in Tbilisi on 3 and 4 September 2014, organized jointly by the 2014 Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and the Georgian NGO Analytical Center for Interethnic Cooperation and Consultations. The focus of the event was on the prevention of torture, the independence of the judiciary, and the institutional and legal framework to combat discrimination...

BERN, 7 September 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter commended the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) for its measures taken to rapidly adapt to new monitoring needs arising from the protocol signed in Minsk on 5 September. Underlining that it was key to assist in the implementation of the Minsk commitments without delay, Burkhalter confirmed that the SMM had redeployed in the last two days 59 specialists with particular experience in the monitoring of ceasefires and was now in the process of rapidly recruiting further monitors...

BERN, 5 September 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter welcomed today’s agreement in Minsk on a ceasefire and on launching a political process to resolve the crisis. Emphasizing the opportunity to finally reverse the logic of escalation, he said that this conflict had caused far too much bloodshed and misery already and urged all sides to implement today’s commitments. Burkhalter also commended the work of the Trilateral Contact Group and thanked his Special Representative Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini for her untiring work...

CHISINAU, 5 September 2014 –Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Radojko Bogojević and Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Ambassador Michael Scanlan today urged the need for continued regular, direct contacts between Chisinau and Tiraspol to make as much progress as possible on concrete issues that affect peoples’ lives on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru River...

BERN/VIENNA, 3 September 2014- OSCE Chair in Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, and Secretary General Lamberto Zannier are to present the Organization’s response to the Ukraine crisis during an event at the NATO Summit in Newsport, Wales...

Bern, August 29, 2014- Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, expressed great concern about the spreading of military confrontation to further areas in eastern parts of Ukraine and the respective escalation of tensions. He also said that reports about growing flows of military personnel and military equipment from the Russian Federation into Ukraine were greatly troubling and must be thoroughly investigated. He recalled that the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its sovereignty had to be respected and preserved by all sides and at all times, adding that failure to do so would contravene international law and fundamental principles of the OSCE.

CHISINAU, 29 August 2014- The holding of the upcoming 5+2 talks would send a positive signal on the prospects of reducing tensions, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Radojko Bogojević said today as he concluded his visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol...