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Home Resources Swiss Chairmanship takes lead in OSCE Ukraine efforts
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Swiss Chairmanship takes lead in OSCE Ukraine efforts

Swiss President and Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO), has been active throughout the crisis and intervened on presidential and ministerial level with the aim of finding a diplomatic solution.

At the request of President Poroshenko, the Swiss Chair-in-Office has agreed to send Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, an experienced Swiss diplomat, to Ukraine. Ambassador Tagliavini represents the OSCE Chairmanship in a tripartite Contact Group that also includes Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
 

In the beginning of May, the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship proposed a roadmap for the implementation of the Geneva Joint Statement of April 17 and distributed it to the four parties of the Geneva Statement. The speech of the Swiss Chairperson-in-Office to the EU Council of Foreign Affairs on 12 May outlining this evolving concept can be found here.
 

An important element of the roadmap implementation are National Unity Roundtables owned and led by the Ukrainian government. So far, three roundtable meetings were organized: in Kyiv on 14 May, in Kharkiv on 17 May, and in Mykolaiv on 21 May.
 

On 24 February 2014, Burkhalter appointed Swiss Ambassador to Germany Tim Guldimann as Personal Envoy on Ukraine to co-ordinate all OSCE activities. He visited Ukraine several times.
 

Please find below a compilation of all news and updates on Swiss Chairmanship's efforts in resolving the situation in Ukraine.

  • So-called elections not in line with Minsk Protocol, says OSCE Chair, calling for enhanced efforts and dialogue to implement all commitments
    Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, reminded all parties that the Minsk Protocol and the Memorandum of September 5 and 19 respectively should continue to serve as the relevant framework and reference point for steps towards de-escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He noted that some progress was made in the implementation of the arrangements, particularly with regard to cease-fire and its monitoring, efforts towards decentralization and the liberation of detainees, which led to a decrease in violence.
    Press release
    31 October 2014
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  • Elections in Ukraine another step towards stabilization, says CiO, calling for enhanced efforts to implement Minsk commitments
    BERN, 27 October 2014 - Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, congratulated Ukrainians for taking part in the early elections of the parliamentary assembly. Taking good note of the preliminary findings of the International Election Observation Mission that these elections marked an important step in Ukraine’s aspirations to consolidate democratic elections in line with its international commitments, he thanked the election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the observation delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as well as other international institutions for their engagement...
    Press release
    27 October 2014
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  • Acknowledging further offers to enhance the OSCE’s UAV capacities, CiO announces immediate consultations on respective modalities
    MILAN, October 17, 2014 - Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, commended the international diplomatic efforts undertaken at the margins of ASEM to further stabilize the situation regarding Ukraine. He thanked for the offers made by Italy, France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia to put at the OSCE’s disposal UAVs and related personnel to enhance its monitoring capacities in Ukraine...
    Press release
    17 October 2014
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  • Press Statement by the Trilateral Contact Group
    KYIV, 4 October 2014 - The Trilateral Contact Group of senior representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office held a meeting in Kyiv on 2 October 2014, to discuss further steps towards the implementation of the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine.
    Press release
    4 October 2014
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  • Opening the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Geneva, Swiss Chair says collective effort needed to restore stability and rebuild common understanding of European security
    GENEVA, 3 October 2014 - Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, gave an opening address to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which is meeting in Geneva for its autumn session this weekend. Recalling that the ‘Helsinki Final Act’ was negotiated in the very same conference building in Geneva four decades ago, he argued that the vision and determination of the CSCE founding fathers should be an inspiration to all to embark on collective efforts to overcome the current crisis of European security...
    Press release
    3 October 2014
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  • Truce too important for stabilization to be carelessly put at risk, Swiss OSCE Chair says after new outbreak of violence
    BERN, 2 October 2014 – Appalled by the killing of ten persons in a school during shelling yesterday in Donetsk, and by the violent death of a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation today, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, urged all sides to immediately stop fighting, to strictly observe the ceasefire and to implement the measures agreed upon in the Minsk Protocol of September 5 and the related Memorandum of September 19. He expressed his condolences to the families of the many men, women and children who lost their lives due to the violent conflict...
    Press release
    2 October 2014
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  • On the road to Basel Ministerial Council, Swiss Chair launches discussion on ways to overcome the crisis of European security
    New York, September 26, 2014 - On the margins of the UN-General Assembly in New York, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter launched a discussion on how to overcome the crisis of European security that has deepened in the face of the crisis in and around Ukraine. At today’s informal meeting attended by more than 25 foreign ministers and representatives of around 35 OSCE participating States as well as representatives of partner States and security organizations, Burkhalter sketched out three avenues towards reconsolidating European security as a common project and invited participants to outline their views on how best to proceed.
    Press release
    26 September 2014
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  • Memorandum on stabilizing ceasefire another important step towards de-escalation, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office says
    BERN, September 20 2014 - Didier Burkhalter, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, noted with satisfaction the signing of a Memorandum on 19 September, 2014, outlining the parameters for the implementation of the cease-fire commitments laid down in the Minsk Protocol of 5 September 2014...
    Press release
    20 September 2014
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