Serbia takes the helm at the OSCE
Serbia launched its Chairmanship of the OSCE on 15 January 2015 with Serbian Foreign Minister – and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office - Ivica Dačić, addressing representatives of the OSCE’s 57 participating States in the first meeting of the Permanent Council of the year, and pledging to rebuild trust and confidence in order to create a positive agenda for the future.
Dačić called on the representatives of the OSCE participating States to join forces in these very difficult times for the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions and for global security. He added that the OSCE’s commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act will remind the world of the breakthroughs of the past.
“The situation in and around Ukraine continues to pose a serious threat to the stability of the region and beyond… It was crucial to invest all efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and full cessation of hostilities,” he said.
Dačić: Serbia ready to act as honest broker in peaceful resolution of crisis in and around Ukraine, and utilise advantages the OSCE offers
— OSCE (@OSCE) January 15, 2015
Serbia, as a country from the Western Balkans, brings added value as Chairmanship to the work of the Organization, said Dačić. “The organization has played an important role in the post-conflict transition processes, supporting a wide range of reforms in the Western Balkans. Our own experience indicated that despite many obstacles, a positive agenda can be created.
Watch the address by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić to the Permanent Council, 15 January 2015
Read the full press release here.
OSCE States issue Declaration condemning France terrorist attacks, emphasising freedom of expression http://t.co/Lq4CpTQimh #CharlieHebdo
— OSCE (@OSCE) January 15, 2015
Condemning the terrorist attacks in France
The first Permanent Council meeting of the year also saw the OSCE’s 57 participating States come together to issue a joint Declaration condemning last week’s terrorist attacks in France, emphasizing that terrorism can never be justified.
The Declaration recognizes that “the freedom of expression is a fundamental and internationally recognized human right” and calls on States “to foster non‑discrimination and tolerance, mutual respect and understanding in our societies.”
Welcoming the Declaration, Dačić said, “We need to be unequivocal in condemning all forms of terrorism while ensuring that our societies remain united against attempts to create divisions on the basis of religion or ethnicity.” Read more here.
Supporting the OSCE Field Operations and Institutions
We believe that independent institutions are an asset of the OSCE in both terms – as guardian of OSCE principles and standards and as structures assisting participating States in their compliance with OSCE commitments.
Dačić also discussed the key issues in the OSCE region with the Heads of the OSCE Field Operations and Institutions, noting that “regional and region-to-region co-operation is one of the priorities of the Serbian Chairmanship. Good neighbourly relations cannot be regarded as a given. They need to be nourished.”
Dačić said both he and his Task Force Team plan to travel extensively in 2015 and visit most of the OSCE Missions and other field presences in the OSCE region. Read more here.
Watch a hyperlapse video of representatives of the OSCE’s 57 participating States packing into the Neuer Saal of the Hofburg in Vienna for the first meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council of 2015.