Switzerland's Thomas Greminger Appointed Next OSCE Secretary General

The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council has appointed Switzerland's former envoy to the organization Thomas Greminger as the next OSCE secretary general on Tuesday.

VIENNA (Sputnik) — Lamberto Zannier was the former OSCE's chief. By the end of June, his mandate will expire. Therefore, any OSCE participating state can nominate a candidate for the post. The decision on who becomes the next secretary general has to be made by unanimous consensus of all 57 States.

"The OSCE Ministerial Council adopted today by consensus the decisions to appoint the following senior-level officials: Thomas Greminger (Switzerland) as OSCE Secretary General," the organization said in a press release.

Earlier, Zannier told Sputnik that divisions in the OSCE which have emerged due to political polarization have deepened and hamper the decision-making process.

The secretary general is appointed for a term of three years by the OSCE Ministerial Council, the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The official may then be re-elected for a second and final term of three years.