News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Special Representative for Western Balkans welcomes progress on search for missing persons
Publishing date: 13 May 2014
BELGRADE, 13 May 2014- Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Western Balkans met Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić in Belgrade on 12 May, and on a trip to southwest Serbia, Stoudmann welcomed the progress made by Serbian authorities in the search for missing persons...
Swiss Chairperson-in-Office receives positive responses to OSCE Roadmap, says implementation is well underway
Publishing date: 12 May 2014
BERN, 12 May 2014- The OSCE Roadmap, drafted in a sense of urgency last week as the situation in Ukraine had deteriorated further, and distributed simultaneously to the four parties of the Geneva Joint Statement of April 17, is an offer to help implementing de-escalation measures in a concrete, structured and effective manner, Burkhalter said...
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office remembers 20 years of Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire
Publishing date: 12 May 2014
Bern, 12 May 2014- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, welcomed the statement made today by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in commemoration of the ceasefire that entered into force on 12 May 1994. He expressed his gratitude to the Co-Chairs (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States of America) and to Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, his Personal Representative on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference, for their tireless mediation efforts...
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office welcomes appointment of new ODIHR Director
Publishing date: 8 May 2014
BERN, 8 May 2014- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, welcomed the appointment of Michael Georg Link of Germany as Director of the Organization's main human rights body, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)...
Vienna meeting highlights role of inter-religious dialogue in promoting freedom of religion or belief
Publishing date: 7 May 2014
VIENNA, 7 May 2013- Dialogue between religious communities and their leaders is essential for promoting religious freedom and combating intolerance and discrimination, stressed participants of a roundtable meeting in Vienna today...
“Reversing the Logic of Escalation in Ukraine: Next Steps by the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship” – OSCE Chairperson’s address
Publishing date: 6 May 2014
VIENNA, 6 May 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter addressed Ministers of the Council of Europe in Vienna today about next steps of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in reversing the logic of escalation in Ukraine...
After release of abducted inspectors and Ukrainian hosts, Swiss CiO calls for enhancing cooperation and efforts towards political solution
Publishing date: 3 May 2014
Bern, 3 May 2014 – Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, expressed his gratitude to all participating States involved in the efforts for the release of the seven military inspectors and their Ukrainian hosts who were detained in Sloviansk by a group of armed individuals.