OSCE Secretary General: OSCE plans to strengthen cooperation with EU, NATO, and UN to resolve conflicts in the region 

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At a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center, the newly elected OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger spoke about the OSCE role and activities in Ukraine and abroad. “The OSCE will continue directing all its efforts to resolve the current crisis in and around Ukraine,” he said.

In order to increase the OSCE’s conflict resolution potential in and around Ukraine, it is planned to strengthen interaction with other international organizations such as the EU, NATO, and the UN. The OSCE is ready to provide its support for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas if the UN Security Council makes such a decision. “Over the past 3.5 years of its activity in Ukraine, the OSCE has gained a wealth of experience that is worth integrating into the concept of such a mission,” said Thomas Greminger. He also noted that the deployment of the UN mission in Donbas will in no way affect the OSCE’s work efficiency. “If such a decision is made, there will be a clear division of tasks between the UN peacekeeping mission and the OSCE mission for a positive influence to be achieved on the ground,” he explained.

The Secretary General also urged the parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine to completely and comprehensively implement the Minsk agreements. “The ceasefire is a cornerstone of a settlement of the situation. The tragic incident that occurred on April 23, when a member of the OSCE SMM was killed in the land mine blast, reveals an indiscriminate effect of the weapons used by the parties to the conflict. This is a threat both to civilians and OSCE SMM staff,” he stressed.

Thomas Greminger also added that among the main goals of further work of the OSCE is the intensification of a productive dialogue aimed at achieving concrete results for the OSCE to become a platform for dialogue and joint efforts in addressing security issues in the Euro-Atlantic and Asian regions.