Newsroom
News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Killing of Mykola Zelenc demonstrates urgent need to stop violent escalation in eastern Ukraine, says Swiss OSCE Permanent Council Chair
Publishing date: 23 August 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship, Permanent Council
What we do: Conflict prevention and resolution
VIENNA, 23 August 2014 – On behalf of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship, Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Government of Lithuania and the family of Mykola Zelenec, the Honorary Consul of Lithuania, who was murdered by illegally armed groups in Luhansk. The perpetrators must be brought to justice, Greminger underlined, and condemned the tragic murder. This is another sad indicator that violence in the east of Ukraine must be ended and that all needs to be done to de-escalate the situation urgently in order to find back to meaningful dialogue, Greminger concluded.
With humanitarian aid urgently needed, OSCE Chairperson calls upon all sides to render convoy aid a co-operative endeavor again
Publishing date: 23 August 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship
What we do: Conflict prevention and resolution
BERN, August 23, 2014 – Deploring that the agreement by Ukraine and the Russian Federation on the modalities of delivering the convoy aid was not implemented in good faith, Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions which could contribute to the further escalation of the situation. Stressing that humanitarian aid had to be delivered in accordance with humanitarian principles and in full respect of Ukrainian sovereignty, Burkhalter urged all sides to help transform this convoy aid into a cooperative endeavor again.
Swiss OSCE Chairperson-in-Office acknowledges humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, calls for co-operative measures
Publishing date: 9 August 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship
What we do: Conflict prevention and resolution
BERN, 8 August 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, welcomed today’s announcement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that it would step up activities for the affected population in deteriorating humanitarian and security environments and deploy additional teams...
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minsk Group Co-Chairs deeply concerned about developments at Line of Contact, call for immediate action to defuse tensions
Publishing date: 2 August 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship, Minsk Group
What we do: Conflict prevention and resolution
BERN/MOSCOW/PARIS/WASHINGTON, 2 August 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, together with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France, expressed their deep concern about the intense upsurge in violence along the Line of Contact and Armenian-Azerbaijani border that resulted in numerous casualties reported in recent days. They extended their condolences to the families of the victims and shared the anguish of their grievous losses...
47th IPRM meeting takes place in Ergneti
Publishing date: 30 July 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship
What we do: Conflict prevention and resolution
On 30 July 2014 the 47th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Toivo Klaar, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship for the South Caucasus...
Swiss OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus visits Azerbaijan
Publishing date: 10 March 2014
From 6 to 8 March 2014, Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus, held consultations with high-ranking officials of Azerbaijan...
OSCE Chairperson’s Personal Representatives on tolerance in first joint country visit to United States
Publishing date: 24 July 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship
What we do: Tolerance and non-discrimination
WASHINGTON D.C., 24 July 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson’s Personal Representatives on combatting discrimination and promoting tolerance on 21 to 23 July 2014 made their first joint country visit to the United States where they identified problems, best practices as well as gaps in policy, activities and legislation, and areas where the OSCE can provide further support.
Deployment of OSCE observers to the Russian Federation one element to de-escalate situation, Chair says, calling for further and broader measures to follow suit
Publishing date: 24 July 2014
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairmanship, OSCE Observer Mission at the Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk (discontinued)
What we do: Border management, Conflict prevention and resolution
Bern, July 24, 2014 – Noting today’s consensus decision of the OSCE Permanent Council to deploy an Observer Mission to two checkpoints of Donetsk and Gukovo on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, stressed the confidence-building character of this measure.
Political leaders need to speak out against the anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric and acts, OSCE tolerance representative says
Publishing date: 23 July 2014
Content type: Press release
What we do: Tolerance and non-discrimination
WASHINGTON D.C., 22 July, 2014- With reference to demonstrations in many places in the OSCE area, sparked recently by tensions in the Middle East, and in a few cases with manifestations of intolerance, especially of anti-Semitic rhetoric and acts, Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, underlined the importance of the Berlin Declaration. This declaration, adopted ten years ago by the participating States of the OSCE, reads: “[We] declare unambiguously that international developments or political issues, including those in Israel or elsewhere in the Middle East never justify anti-Semitism.”
Extension of Special Monitoring Mission mandate indicates that scope for co-operative solution in Ukraine persists, Chairperson-in-Office says
Publishing date: 22 July 2014
Content type: Press release
What we do: Conflict prevention and resolution
BERN, 22 July 2014- After the decision of the OSCE Permanent Council, upon request by the Ukrainian government, to extend the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine for a further six months, the Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, welcomed that the SMM will be able to continue to play its crucial role in assisting Ukraine in de-escalating measures...