SIPRI Governing Board member Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger (Germany) has been appointed as an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) negotiator on Ukraine.
Ukraine's Interfax news agency reports that the nomination of Ambassador Ischinger by the OSCE was accepted by Ukrainian authorities on 12 May 2014.
The OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine is being deployed following a request to the OSCE by the Ukrainian Government and a consensus agreement by all 57 OSCE participating states.
Representing the Chairman-In-Office of the OSCE, Ambassador Ischinger co-chairs round table meetings in Ukraine in an effort to create a more constructive political atmosphere and promote dialogue in the lead-up to the Ukrainian presidential elections on 25 May.
Ambassador Ischinger, who is the Chairman of the Munich Conference on Security Policy, has served on SIPRI's Governing Board since 2009. Earlier this month the Swedish Government approved the extension of his membership of the Governing Board for a second and final five-year term.