OSCE the only European security organization bringing together all parties, says OSCE Chairperson

MUNICH, 7 February 2009 - Europe faces common threats and security challenges, and the OSCE remains the forum for dialogue on security issues, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, today at the main plenary session of the Munich Security Conference.

At the panel discussion on "NATO, Russia, Oil, Gas and the Middle East: The Future of European Security", Bakoyannis, who chairs the OSCE in 2009, emphasized Greece's willingness to take a dialogue on European security issues forward.

"There appears to be widespread consensus that, to say the least, we need to engage in a dialogue on security issues. Most, also, agree that the OSCE is the appropriate forum for such a dialogue to take place," she said. "It goes without saying that - provided that there is agreement by all 56 OSCE participating States - Greece stands ready to organize meetings at any level that could launch, or more generally facilitate, such a dialogue."

Bakoyannis said that the current crisis in Georgia, where the OSCE along with the European Union helped to broker a ceasefire after the war in August, showed the need to intensify efforts to deal with the region's outstanding conflicts.

"We must not waste any time and move forward with the toolbox that we have in our hands," she said.

"We have two tools here: the EU as proven by the intervention of the French Presidency last August, and the OSCE, which finds itself in the unique position of being the only European security organization that can rely on the political will and the resources of all major stakeholders."

Bakoyannis said that it was critical to reach agreement on continuing the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia and the OSCE's unarmed military monitoring officers.

"A major challenge for our Chairmanship is the continuation of the OSCE work in Georgia. Our focus remains humanitarian. We are convinced that the volatile situation on the ground requires more and not less OSCE presence," she said.