Representative of Austrian OSCE Chairmanship Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Linhart visits OSCE Mission in Kosovo

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 24 May 2017 - Michael Linhart, representative of the Austrian 2017 OSCE Chairmanship and Austrian Deputy Foreign Minister, visited the OSCE Mission in Kosovo today.

Linhart was received by the Head of Mission, Ambassador Jan Braathu, and senior management, who briefed him on the Mission’s activities.

“The OSCE Mission in Kosovo has been a crucial partner in reform efforts over the last 18 years. With its expertise and knowledge, it assists the institutions to make significant progress. The Mission enjoys the full support of the Austrian Chairmanship”, Linhart emphasised.

In particular, he referred to the work conducted by the Mission in areas such as the protection of community rights and protection of cultural and religious heritage, the promotion of human rights and the rule of law as well as the functioning of democratic institutions and civic participation in decision-making.

Linhart discussed the Chairmanship´s priorities and their impact on the Mission´s work. “As you know, we want to join forces in fighting radicalization and violent extremism. The increasing threat to domestic security posed by radicalization of mainly young people represents an imminent risk to the entire OSCE area. Therefore I particularly welcome the work that the Mission is doing to prevent violent extremism among youth and commend authorities in Prishtinë/Priština for the robust response to tackle this problem”, Linhart underlined.

Regarding the upcoming elections on 11 June, Ambassador Braathu informed about previous OSCE support in facilitating elections for non-majority communities. Linhart underscored: “This is without any doubt one of the most visible success stories of the Mission. I can only congratulate Ambassador Braathu and his team for the pragmatic and flexible way they were able to assist during previous elections. I am very confident that the Mission will make an important contribution again on 11 June.”