OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier met with Swiss Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter.

Mr Burkhalter, who will be OSCE chairman-in-office next year, and Mr Zannier used the meeting to discuss how they will work together and to exchange views on a variety of topics that will be of significance during Switzerland’s chairmanship in 2014.

In this regard Mr Burkhalter and Mr Zannier exchanged views on aspects of conventional arms control and confidence building measures in the security sector. They also examined questions of how to implement commitments with respect to the human dimension. Transnational threats such as terrorism and cyber security risks, upcoming reform processes to further develop the OSCE and the strengthening of the OSCE's capacity as mediator were also discussed.

Also participating in the talks between OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier and Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter were the special representatives appointed to head the two geographical focal areas of the Swiss chairmanship, namely Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann for the Western Balkans and Ambassador Angelo Gnädinger for the South Caucasus. Federal Councillor Burkhalter also met with Andrzej Kasprzyk, the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office for the Karabakh conflict.

Earlier representative of Swiss federal department on foreign affairs Switzerland will support efforts for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh during its OSCE presidency in 2014.