Ukraine is Granted OSCE Chairmanship in 2013

KIEV, Ukraine, November 24, 2010 - 56 foreign ministers of OSCE participating countries unanimously voted
for Ukraine's chairing the OSCE in two years from now. The
Chairperson-in-Office is the foreign minister of the country that holds the
Chairmanship. Current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kostyantyn
Gryshchenko is a potential Chairman of the Organization in 2013.

The President of Ukraine believes that Ukraine's chairmanship will
provide more opportunities for strengthening security from Vancouver to
Vladivostok, as the Organization is the center of debate on the future of
European security architecture.

Earlier, in September, the President of Ukraine underlined his hopes for
Kazakhstan's support for Ukraine in attaining chairmanship of the
Organization in 2013. The President noted that the experience of Astana
should be taken into high consideration. Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister and
Secretary of State Kanat Saudabayev is the current Chairperson-in-Office.

"I sincerely congratulate Ukraine on the occasion of being awarded the
esteemed OSCE Chairmanship in 2013. We wish our Ukrainian partners and
friends success in the implementation of this responsible mission and the
proper continuation of efforts of previous Chairmanships to strengthen and
develop the OSCE in light of new geopolitical realities," Saudabayev said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kostyantyn
Gryshchenko, has stated that "Ukraine, as a non-aligned state will continue
to carry out its constructive unifying role in the security dialogue, taking
into consideration opinions of all the states of the OSCE region; and will
take up a balanced position in respect of the acute issues of the
Organization." On top of that, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko said that Ukraine would
specify its key elements of the upcoming chairmanship before 2013.

"Ukraine's chairmanship in the OSCE is a sign of growing
international confidence in the new Ukrainian leadership, which our state
lacked in the past years," says Oleg Voloshyn, the Head of Information Policy
Department at the Ukrainian MFA.

The next OSCE Summit of Heads of State or Government will take
place in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 1-2 December 2010. It is the seventh such
Summit in the OSCE's history. Previous summits were held 1975 in Helsinki,
1990 in Paris, 1992 in Helsinki, 1994 in Budapest, 1996 in Lisbon and 1999 in
Istanbul.

For more information, please contact Natalia Shulevska +380-633776645 news at wnu-ukraine.com, Project Manager at Worldwide News Ukraine.