Diplomacy Cassis proposes OSCE conference in Lugano
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs intend to hold the OSCE Ministerial Conference in Lugano in December 2026. Four years after the first Ukraine Recovery Conference, the city in Ticino would once again host an international meeting.
23.05.2025, 16:24
SDA
Mr Cassis confirmed the plan to hold the conference in Lugano at a joint meeting with the Ticino government in Mezzana near Chiasso TI. The experience gained with the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) could be used, Cassis and his Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) announced.
Both the cantonal authorities and the city of Lugano had been consulted, the press release continued. Cassis was quoted as saying that the meeting would make it possible to "raise awareness of Italian-speaking Switzerland" and "draw attention to the peaceful coexistence of different cultures and languages in Switzerland". He added: "In view of the current geopolitical situation, this is an important signal."
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), based in Vienna, is the world's largest regional security organization. It brings together 57 participating states, including the USA and Russia. The aims of the OSCE are to secure peace and post-conflict reconstruction. Switzerland has been a member of the OSCE since it was founded in 1975 and will assume the chairmanship for the third time in 2026 after 1996 and 2014.
Once a year, usually in December, the chairing country organizes the ministerial conference. On Wednesday, the Federal Council approved an additional budget of CHF 5.25 million for the event in Lugano.
