News and press releases

Bern, 28 May, 2014- Didier Burkhalter, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Swiss Foreign Minister, said that the detention of monitors of the Special Monitoring Mission cannot be tolerated and was undermining the important work of the Mission which was agreed upon by the 57 participating States of the OSCE on March 21. The detentions were acts of sabotage of international efforts to assist Ukraine in overcoming the crisis, Burkhalter continued.

WASHINGTON, 28 May 2014 – The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism condemned the attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels on Saturday which left four people dead. The murder in Brussels was followed the next day by the beating in Paris of two men as they left a suburban synagogue. “These two vicious incidents are a reminder to us all that anti-Semitism remains a problem in the heart of Europe,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker...

BERN, 26 May 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, rates the early presidential elections in Ukraine of May 25 as an important milestone in the process of de-escalation of the crisis. He thanked the election observation mission of the OSCE Office Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) to Ukraine and the observation delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for their invaluable work...

BERN, 23 May, 2014 – Commending the Ukrainian authorities for their measures to reduce tensions, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, called upon all sides – and particularly upon the parties of the Geneva Statement of 17 April –, to lend full support to the country in its efforts for de-escalation and for a peaceful solution of the crisis, including the holding of early presidential elections...

DUSHANBE, 21 May 2014-- Strengthening the role of civil society organizations in the areas of prevention of torture, protection of human rights defenders and freedom of association in Central Asia and Mongolia was the focus of a two-day regional workshop that concluded in Dushanbe today...

CHISINAU, 21 May 2014 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Radojko Bogojević completed today his visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol...

MONTREUX, Switzerland, 20 May 2014 – Countries worldwide and in the OSCE region are frequently affected by floods, storms, earthquakes, droughts and other natural hazards. The OSCE opened a two-day event today in Montreux exploring how OSCE participating States can work together to reduce the risks posed by such disasters. Pursuing a comprehensive risk management approach that includes risks of disaster is important for the security of countries and the safety of communities. The most recent devastating floods in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia underline the relevance of this topic...