Turkish diplomat heads OSCE mission in Ukraine

Turkish diplomat heads OSCE mission in Ukraine

Recently appointed as head of the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, Turkish diplomat Ertugrul Apakan brings experience and expertise to the mission, officials and analysts say.

A pro-Russian protester guards a barricade outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on April 11th. International monitors are in Ukraine to deter human rights violations. [AFP]

The appointment of Ertugrul Apakan of Turkey as head of the international monitoring mission to Ukraine underscores Turkey's strategic and geopolitical significance in the region, both as a NATO member and a part of the Black Sea community, analysts said.

As tensions escalate over on-going Kremlin-backed uprisings in eastern Ukraine, the special mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is operating in Ukraine to monitor security and human rights conditions in the country.

The Kiev-based mission initially will consist of 100 monitors and may increase to as many as 500, while 30 participating countries are now represented. The mission will operate in nine cities across Ukraine.

Apakan, a retired Turkish diplomat, was permanent representative of Turkey to the United Nations from 2009-2012, as well as the ambassador to the Turkish portion of Cyprus from 1996 to 2000 and undersecretary within Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2006-2009.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, observers from Turkey will also attend the mission, while two deputy chief monitors, Mark Etherington of the United Kingdom and Alexander Hug of Switzerland, will assist Apakan.

"Under their leadership, I trust that the special...