VIENNA, June 22. /TASS/. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ivica Dacic has appointed Austrian diplomat Martin Sajdik as his new special representative in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group.

Sajdik, formerly permanent representative of Austria to the United Nations in New York, will replace Switzerland’s Heidi Tagliavini, who announced her plans to step down after having fulfilled her duties for one year.

"Ambassador Sajdik is a very experienced diplomat with a broad scope of knowledge, ranging from international law to multilateral affairs, and we are very glad to welcome him to the team," said Dacic, who is also Serbia’s foreign minister.

He thanked Tagliavini "for her outstanding performance and the contribution to the diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis in and around Ukraine, which has proven to be invaluable."

Earlier on Monday, Sajdik, as a candidate for this post, held talks at Russia’s Foreign Ministry. The ministry said the Austrian diplomat was ready to make every effort to achieve settlement in Donbass in line with the Minsk agreements.

Tagliavini, who was appointed to the post in June 2014 by former OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter, tendered her resignation earlier this month. She is expected to be present at the Contact Group’s meeting planned for Tuesday.