OSCE Chairperson-in-Office commends Ukraine for successful launching of Roundtables on National Unity

BERN, 14 May 2014 - Referring to today’s first roundtable on national unity, held in Kyiv, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, welcomed the successful launch of a nationwide dialogue, led and owned by Ukraine.

He expressed his hope that an inclusive national dialogue will contribute to stabilizing the situation towards the upcoming elections on 25 May. The launch event, chaired by two former Presidents of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma, allowed for constructive and engaged discussions and set the tone for the following editions to take place in the regions, Burkhalter said.

The high-level part of this process shall be supported by Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, the Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for National Dialogue Roundtables. The OSCE is ready to assist the Ukrainian authorities with its expertise and organizational support through joint efforts by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s Office in Ukraine.