Chairperson-in-Office calls on all sides to commit to resolving the situation regarding Ukraine through dialogue, with peaceful means and with respect of international law

BERN, March 16, 2014 – In the light of the unlawful referendum on the status of Crimea, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, discussed over the weekend, at the highest political levels, the situation regarding Ukraine and possible solutions.

He confirmed that countries were still ready to solve the crisis by diplomatic means and asked all sides to refrain from rushing into decisions and unilateral actions that could have wide-ranging consequences. He called on OSCE participating States to commit to resolving the situation through dialogue, with peaceful means and with respect of international law, and not to allow a damaging dynamic to develop further.

The CiO urged participating States to act responsibly and work with full speed in the spirit of cooperation towards consensus on a monitoring mission and its rapid deployment, leading to an enhanced presence of the OSCE in Ukraine.