OSCE Secretary General visits Kyiv

KYIV, 29 April 2014 - OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier wrapped up a one-day working visit to Kyiv today amid escalating tensions, especially in the east of the country.

The purpose of the visit was to obtain a first-hand update on the situation in the country, including the detention of a group of military inspectors from OSCE participating States and their Ukrainian hosts in Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine-based OSCE senior management met with Zannier in separate meetings. This included Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine and Stefan Krause, Deputy Head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission.

Separately, Zannier met with Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, chief monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) and his senior management team.

Zannier received a briefing on the current situation in Ukraine at a luncheon organized by the Ambassador of Turkey and attended by various representatives of OSCE participating states.

In the afternoon, Zannier held bilateral talks with the acting Foreign Minister, Andrii Deshchytsia, followed by a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired by the acting minister and attended by representatives of the parties to the Geneva Joint Statement of 17 April.

Ambassador Tim Guldimann, the OSCE Chair’s Personal Envoy on Ukraine, accompanied Zannier in his meetings.