OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier on visit to Kyiv met monitors, Trilateral Contact Group members

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier visited Kyiv from 21 to 23 July 2014. He met with the head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan and his staff to discuss their work in light of recent developments in the east of Ukraine. Zannier, on behalf of the Organization and its participating States, thanked the SMM staff for their hard work and courage displayed in increasingly difficult circumstances.

The Secretary General had an opportunity to speak with the members of the trilateral Contact Group, including former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, the Russian Federation's Ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Zubarov, and Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, who continue their efforts to get a ceasefire in place as soon as possible.

He also had a productive discussion with Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia on a wide range of issues, including the OSCE Secretariat's ongoing preparations for the possible deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The OSCE Secretary General, with the support from the Ukraine's Emergency Service, also visited the Peremoha camp for displaced persons in the vicinity of Kyiv. This camp currently hosts about 150 people from the east of Ukraine and from the territory of Crimean peninsula.

As Zannier’s visit to Kiev coincided with that of the UN Women's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, he took part in a meeting that was also attended by the acting UN Resident Co-ordinator, the SMM Chief Monitor, as well as the SMM's Gender and Minority Rights Advisers. The discussion centred around gender equality and the importance of incorporating the gender perspective into all activities, including national dialogue.

Finally, Zannier visited the office of the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine where he received an update on their activities.