BERN, 14 June 2014 – Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, expressed his deep concern about today’s escalation of tension in Ukraine and called on all those who may have an influence on the situation in the country to act with utmost restraint.

Burkhalter condemned the downing of the Ukrainian military transport plane, killing several dozen people. He offered his sincere condolences to President Poroshenko and to the people of Ukraine who are confronted with a spiraling of violence resulting in a growing loss of life.

Burkhalter emphasized that the ongoing talks of the tripartite contact group which includes representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship, have shown encouraging progress in recent days and demonstrate the possibility of a political settlement of the crisis. He urged all sides to focus on resolving their differences through dialogue rather than force and called for courageous steps to collectively advance towards a peaceful solution.

Burkhalter also expressed concern about today’s attack on the embassy of the Russian Federation in Kiev and called on the Ukrainian authorities to take all necessary measures to provide adequate security for all diplomatic missions.