News and press releases

BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014 – Today, after 18 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia are taking over full responsibility for regional stability and arms control, essential for building peace and stability in the Western Balkans, with senior politicians from the four countries signing a document on the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel...

BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014 – It is essential to preserve the OSCE as a platform for inclusive discussions and as an effective responder despite divisions in Europe over the situation in Ukraine, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in his opening address at the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel...

Basel, 03 December 2014 – In his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter attended the closing session of the Parallel Civil Society Conference, held in the margins of the Ministerial Council meeting on 02 and 03 December. In Basel, more than 100 civil society representatives discussed and adopted concrete recommendations directed at the OSCE, its Institutions, field presence and participating States. In addition to the CiO, the closing session of the conference was attended by Ambassador Dejan Šahović, Head of the Serbian Chairmanship Task Force, and Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

BERN, 27 November 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter has expressed his deep concern about yesterday's shooting incident in the area of Donetsk in Ukraine...

BERN, 26 November 2014 – From 17 to 25 November 2014, Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office for the South Caucasus joined the EU and UN co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions for consultations held with the participants in Tbilisi, Tskhinvali, Sukhumi and Moscow. The key purpose of their visit was to prepare for the next round of the Geneva Discussion which will take place on 9-10 December...

BERN, 22 November 2014- Central Asia plays an important role as a bridge between Asia and Europe, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said as he concluded a four-day visit to the Central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, from 19 to 22 November 2014...

BERN, 18 November 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter will visit the five Central Asian republics – Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan- from 19 to 22 November 2014...