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.

The CiO announced immediate consultations by the Chairmanship on the modalities concerning the use of these additional OSCE monitoring resources.

Burkhalter called on all sides to show good will and pragmatism to enable the OSCE to effectively integrate these UAVs in its monitoring activities as fast as possible.

The CiO concluded by underlining the importance of further cooperative actions by OSCE participating States to effectively assist implementing the Minsk Protocol of September 5 and the related Memorandum of September 19, on the basis of the OSCE’s mandate.