Section: OSCE (EU)
Summary by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter of the first day of discussions at the OSCE Ministerial Council
BASEL, Switzerland, 5 December 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter summarized the discussions of the first day at the OSCE 21st Ministerial Council in Basel, noting that OSCE Foreign Ministers are meeting against the backdrop of one of the worst crises in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area since...
Commemorative Publication marks 20 years of key OSCE document on promoting democratic control of armed and security forces
BASEL, Switzerland, 5 December 2014 – Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office presented a Commemorative Publication on 20 years of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security to the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier at a special event held today during the 21st OSCE Ministerial...
OSCE facing its greatest modern challenge with Ukraine crisis, Parliamentary Assembly President tells Foreign Ministers
BASEL, 4 December 2014 – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is facing its greatest challenge in recent memory as it responds to the Ukraine crisis and must take decisive steps, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) said in an address to the Organization’s foreign ministers today....
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia take ownership of regional arms control, Dayton Peace Agreement Article IV Annex 1/B: Mission accomplished
BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014 – Today, after 18 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia are taking over full responsibility for regional stability and arms control, essential for building peace and stability in the Western Balkans, with senior politicians from the four countries signing a document on the 21st OSCE...
Ukraine in focus as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Burkhalter opens 21st Ministerial Council in Basel
BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014 – It is essential to preserve the OSCE as a platform for inclusive discussions and as an effective responder despite divisions in Europe over the situation in Ukraine, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in his opening address at the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 2 December 2014
This report is for media and the general public. The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). In particular, it noted attempts in Donetsk to implement a ceasefire and arrange for the withdrawal of heavy weaponry. An SMM...
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Burkhalter receives civil society recommendations ahead of the Ministerial Council in Basel
Basel, 03 December 2014 – In his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter attended the closing session of the Parallel Civil Society Conference, held in the margins of the Ministerial Council meeting on 02 and 03 December. In Basel, more than 100 civil society representatives discussed and adopted concrete recommendations...
Weekly update from the Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 10:00 (Moscow time), on 02 December 2014)
SUMMARY Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Check Points (BCPs). On 30 November a Russian convoy crossed the Donetsk BCP to Ukraine and returned to the Russian Federation (RF) the same day. Overall cross-border traffic flows decreased at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs)....
Launch of the Reference Guide on Mediation and Dialogue Facilitation in the OSCE
Basel, 3 December 2014 – The Reference Guide on Mediation and Dialogue Facilitation in the OSCE will be launched at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel today, Wednesday, 3 December 2014 The Reference Guide will be presented by Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, and Ambassador Adam Kobieracki, Director...
OSCE Ministerial Council to start in Basel on Thursday
BERN, 2 December 2014 – The 21st OSCE Ministerial Council, gathering some 50 foreign ministers, will take place on 4 and 5 December 2014, at the Basel Exhibition Centre, in Basel, Switzerland at the invitation of the 2014 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. The Ministerial Council is the central...
