VIENNA, 23 November 2010 - Ukraine will hold the OSCE Chairmanship in 2013, foreign ministers from the 56 OSCE participating States decided today.

The decision was taken by the required consensus in a silence procedure.

Kazakhstan chairs the OSCE in 2010, and Lithuania will chair the Organization in 2011. Ireland will hold the 2012 OSCE Chairmanship.

The Chairperson-in-Office is the foreign minister of the country that holds the Chairmanship. 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 OSCE Summit in Astana, which will take place in just seven days, will be an exceptionally important step in this direction, and we are looking forward to productive work with all our partners in the OSCE to agree truly historic decisions of this top-level meeting."

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