WASHINGTON, November 27 (Sputnik) — US Secretary of State John Kerry and Swiss President Didier Burkhalter will discuss the role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the situation in Ukraine, the US State Department has announced in a statement.
The Secretary will meet with Swiss President Burkhalter to discuss the role the OSCE played this year in addressing the crisis and monitoring events in Ukraine," the statement, released Wednesday, says, adding that the meeting will take place during the OSCE Ministerial Council on December 4-5 in Basel, Switzerland.
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission started working in Ukraine in March 21, 2014, after the organization received a request from the Ukrainian government. The mission’s aim is to monitor the events in the country, promoting dialogue between the opposing sides.
The armed conflict in Ukraine began in mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in the country's southeast.
In September, a ceasefire deal was agreed in Minsk at a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, which included representatives from Ukraine, the OSCE and Russia. Despite the agreement, the Ukrainian army and independence supporters have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce.
