Austria to serve as bridge builder, dialogue facilitator and an honest broker during its 2017 OSCE Chairmanship, says Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz

VIENNA, 12 January 2017 – Austria’s OSCE Chairmanship 2017 aims to make determined use of the OSCE’s instruments to work for greater security and stability in Europe by creating more confidence through more co-operation, more predictability and more concrete approaches, said Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz today in his inaugural address to the Permanent Council as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

“Austria will be true to its role as a bridge builder, a place of dialogue, and will act with openness and as an honest broker,” he said. “Only together we can ensure the security and stability in the OSCE region. We need a strong organization that has the ability to act, that can effectively, efficiently and quickly fulfil all the tasks delegated to it by the 57 participating States.”

Presenting the country’s 2017 OSCE Chairmanship programme, Kurz stressed that Austria’s Chairmanship will confront challenges currently posing the greatest threat to the common values of the OSCE area. “Armed conflicts continue to take thousands of lives, and have caused displacement and devastation in recent years. We want to contribute to strengthening co-operative security and defusing existing conflicts.”

Reflecting on internal security and the alarming phenomenon of growing radicalization and violent extremism, Kurz stressed his determination to address the issue in depth, putting a particular emphasis on young people. “Youth is the population group most widely affected by radicalization in its various forms. As a politician or decision-maker it is therefore crucial to listen to youth. As the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE I want to go even one step further – we must give a voice to youth and let them become a partner in our efforts to counter violent extremism. In the vast OSCE region, dynamics of radicalization are diverse and complicated. In order to focus our efforts and bring them together even further, I have appointed a well-known expert, Professor Peter Neumann of King’s College in London, as my Special Representative on Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism,” he said.

“At the same time, we are experiencing a growing loss of trust among the participating States,” he said. “We intend to rebuild trust through confidence-building measures in a number of areas – ranging from military transparency and co-operation to communication channels and economic co-operation and connectivity between the participating States,” said Kurz. He noted that the OSCE, with its policy-making bodies and executive structures, in particular the institutions and field operations, has a unique, comprehensive array of instruments at its disposal. “These instruments offer many opportunities for collaboration on common interests, when we emphasize common ground over division.”

“There can be no military solution for the existing conflicts in the OSCE area,” said Kurz, who travelled to Ukraine from 3 to 4 January 2017. “The crisis in and around Ukraine shows how much the OSCE is needed, for the security of people living there and in improving their lives.” He stressed the need to continue supporting and further strengthening the work of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, but also the importance of co-operation with the Trilateral Contact Group and the OSCE Chairperson’s Special Representative Ambassador Martin Sajdik, as well as the Normandy Format, in finding a solution to the crisis.

“On one hand, we will work very concretely to defuse existing conflicts, and on the other, continue the discussion on the best possible conflict prevention in the OSCE region.”

Chairperson-in-Office Kurz, together with his Special Representative Ambassador Wolf-Dietrich Heim, will visit Moldova in two weeks. “Austria will continue the German Chairmanship’s policy of small steps and ensure that in the process of settling the Transdniestrian conflict further progress can be made in economic participation and freedom of movement of people on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River, among other things.” 

In the South Caucasus, Austria’s Chairmanship will support the existing platforms of the Geneva International Discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), with a view to improving the situation of conflict-affected populations. The Chair also aims to contribute to strengthening dialogue and confidence-building in the region. As part of his planned trip to Georgia, Kurz, accompanied by his Special Representative Ambassador Günther Bächler, will address IPRM participants before a meeting of the Mechanism in Ergneti.

With regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Kurz pledged support to the Minsk Group and noted the important contribution of his Personal Representative Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and the Head of the High-Level Planning Group, Colonel Hans Lampalzer.

In the Western Balkans, “we will focus on the regional and cross-border initiatives and support reform efforts in the area of rule of law, media freedom and good governance,” he said. “We will also seek to engage and co-operate further in Central Asia.”

Kurz said that respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy is a prerequisite for, and an integral part of security, stability and prosperity. “This is particularly important to me. It does not contradict sustainable stability and security, but forms their basis.”

“We will pay particular attention to ensuring freedom of expression and media, protecting vulnerable groups and the rights of national minorities, freedom of religion or belief, tolerance and non-discrimination,” said Kurz, highlighting that equal rights and opportunities for women and men are also essential to security.

“Heading the largest regional organization in the world is a great responsibility,” said Kurz. “Only a joint commitment of all 57 participating States can bring us forward and help us to meet the expectations of our people.”