News and press releases

Rome, 1 January 2018 – Strengthening multilateralism as an instrument to relaunch the 'spirit of Helsinki' and to further promote peace, security, stability and co-operation will be Italy’s key priority for its 2018 OSCE Chairmanship, said today the Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano as he took up the post of Chairperson-in-Office of the regional security organization.

VIENNA, 7 December 2017- On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vienna, we the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries-- Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and French Permanent Representative Véronique Roger-Lacan-- remain united in our commitment to mediating a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including the non-use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples. We reiterate our joint commitment to negotiating a peaceful resolution to this conflict as the only way to bring real reconciliation to the peoples of the region...

VIENNA, 7 December 2017 – Addressing foreign ministers at the OSCE’s 24th Ministerial Council in Vienna today, Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) noted the value and potential of the OSCE, stressing that governments should ensure that the organization is fully equipped to handle challenges facing the region.

VIENNA, 17 October 2017 – The Austrian OSCE Chairmanship closely followed the meeting of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Geneva on 16 October...

GENEVA, Switzerland, 16 October 2017- The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a summit today in Geneva, Switzerland. Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov also attended the meeting, which was organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America). The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the summit.

VIENNA, 20 July 2017 – Recognizing that shared challenges require common solutions, Italy’s Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2018 will work to capture the ‘authentic spirit of Helsinki’ and encourage a sense of responsibility and solidarity on the part of each of the OSCE’s 57 participating States to address the multitude of security threats facing the region, Italy’s Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said today as he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on the upcoming Chairmanship’s priorities.

BRUSSELS, 12 July 2017- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassador Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Stephane Visconti of France, and Ambassador Richard Hoagland of the United States of America) met on 11 July with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian to discuss modalities of further work on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meeting...