The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the completion of procedures of appointment of Thomas Greminger as OSCE Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier as OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Harlem Désir as OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir as Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

The filled senior-level positions of the OSCE will allow ensuring the effective activities of the Organization, in particular as regards conflict prevention and resolution. The full-scale multidimensional work of the OSCE assumes particular importance for the Ukrainian state under the conditions of the on-going complex hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Ukraine.

We expect the OSCE Institutions to continue the active targeted work aimed at supporting the development of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the OSCE area, and to respond duly and timely to the most flagrant cases of their violation, which currently take place in the temporarily occupied and controlled by Russia areas of Ukraine.

We hope that the newly appointed Heads of OSCE Institutions will retain the primary attention, which is paid now within the Organization to the issue of ceasing the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and will spare no effort to bring back the respect for the fundamental OSCE principles and commitments, which is necessary for restoring mutual trust in the European continent, violated by the irresponsible attitude of one participating State.