OSCE Chairmanship names Head of OSCE Office in Minsk

VIENNA, 30 January 2003 - The Dutch Chairmanship of the OSCE today announced the appointment of Ambassador Eberhard Heyken of Germany as Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk.

Ambassador Heyken, an experienced diplomat whose most recent appointments were as German Ambassador to Ukraine (1996-2000) and to Switzerland (1994-96), is expected to take up his post in the coming weeks.

The OSCE Office in Minsk formally came into existence on 1 January 2003 with a mandate to "assist the Belarusian Government in further promoting institution-building, in further consolidating the Rule of Law and in developing relations with civil society, in accordance with OSCE principles and commitments".

The Office will also assist the Belarusian Government in its efforts in developing economic and environmental activities and will monitor and report accurately on the above mentioned objectives.

In his new role, Ambassador Heyken will be assisted by a team of experts.