Austrian Deputy Foreign Minister Linhart and OSCE Secretary General Zannier sign Headquarters Agreement regulating presence of OSCE in Austria

VIENNA, 14 June 2017 – Austria’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Michael Linhart, today reaffirmed his country’s commitment and support to the OSCE as he joined the Organization’s Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier, in signing a Headquarters Agreement between the Republic of Austria and the OSCE.

The agreement, which was signed in the premises of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna, regulates the legal standing and protection of the OSCE in Austria.

"For Austria, as the main seat of the OSCE, it is of crucial importance that the Organization is based on a solid legal foundation. By signing the Headquarters Agreement we show our strong commitment to strengthening the OSCE as a whole as well as its position in the community of international organizations based in Vienna," said Deputy Foreign Minister Linhart.

Secretary General Zannier stated: “I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Austria for hosting the OSCE already for many years. I would also like to thank our Austrian colleagues for the co-operative spirit which prevailed in the negotiations between our teams, the priority Austria gave to this matter and the efficiency in which the work was carried out.”

The agreement represents a technical transformation of the legal arrangements for the hosting of the OSCE, which were until now regulated by the Federal Law on the Legal Status of OSCE Institutions in Austria. The new Headquarters Agreement does not substantively alter the treatment currently enjoyed by the OSCE and its officials in Austria or that of the permanent missions and delegations of OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation.

Austria has hosted the headquarters of the OSCE since 1995.