Hungary is ready to take part in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) planned monitoring mission in Ukraine, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

MFA spokesman Gábor Kaleta stated that Hungary had nominated 17 observers, and one of the leading positions would probably be delegated to a Hungarian nominee.

Currently, the OSCE is selecting experts to participate in the mission, and the organisation has promised a more detailed briefing within the next few days, Mr. Kaleta said.

The OSCE has been asked by the Ukrainian government to ensure a continuous presence on Ukrainian territory until the presidential election at the end of May. The organisation will achieve two goals with its presence, Gábor Ács, the head of Hungary's observer mission in Ukraine, said earlier.

First, it has decided on establishing a civilian observer mission whose preparatory group is already in Kiev. The tasks of the mission's members will primarily be monitoring and helping to provide stability, as well as handling any potential conflicts. Second, following an agreement between some OSCE member states, it has been decided that a 6-8 member monitoring mission will be sent for the longer term in order to see through tasks aimed at supporting trust and security enhancement measures, based on the 2011 Vienna document.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)