GENEVA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Swiss diplomat Thomas Greminger's name has been put forward as the next head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Swiss Telegraphic Agency (STA) reported Wednesday.
In a July 12 meeting in Vienna, the OSCE Permanent Council formally submitted Greminger's name to the foreign ministers of OSCE's 57 participating states for confirmation.
The council also submitted the names of three other officials to fill four senior-level positions in the organization, the OSCE confirmed on its website.
Lamberto Zannier of Italy, who was OSCE secretary general until the end of June, was suggested as High Commissioner on National Minorities.
The OSCE Permanent Council also proposed former Icelandic foreign minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir becoming head of its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), while former French minister Harlem Desir was suggested as the delegate for media freedom.
The appointments will become final if no objections are received before July 18.
The OSCE is the world's largest security-oriented inter-governmental organization, its mandate being issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections.
Its signatories include both Russia and NATO members, including the United States, along with nations such as Georgia and Turkey.
OSCE Secretary General-designate Greminger has been deputy director and head of the southern cooperation division of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) since 2015.
Prior to this, he was Switzerland's Permanent Representative to the OSCE, the United Nations, and international organizations in Vienna.
