January 15, 2026, Vienna. During the first meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, on the occasion of the beginning of Switzerland's Chairpersonship in 2026, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Federal Chancillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis has outlined the key priorities of his mandate. These include actively promoting a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, strengthening the OSCE as an inclusive platform for dialogue and enhancing its operational capacity.

Particular attention was paid to the need for institutional reforms, ensuring sustainable funding and the urgent adoption of the OSCE Unified Budget.

Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the OSCE Ambassador Mukhtar Tileuberdi in his national statement has emphasized the importance of promotion of economic connectivity and the environmental and climate agenda. In this context, he announced that the Regional Environmental Summit will be held in Astana from April 22–24, 2026. The importance of combating transnational security threats, including those emanating from Afghanistan, was also pointed out. In conclusion, M. Tileuberdi invited I.Cassis to make an official visit to Kazakhstan as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

For reference: Switzerland took over the OSCE Chairpersonship from Finland on 1 January 2026, thus, it became the first country to have chaired the OSCE three times, following previous terms in 1996 and 2014.

It has defined five priorities: the Helsinki Principles – for lasting peace; inclusive multilateral diplomacy; anticipating technologies – for a safe and humane future; democracy, the rule of law and human rights and the OSCE's ability to act. 

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-vienna/press/news/details/1142990?lang=kk