OSCE Secretary General attends 52nd Munich Security Conference

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier attended the 52nd Munich Security Conference from 12 to 14 February 2016, where, on the margins of the event, he held a number of bilateral meetings with high-level state officials and heads of international institutions.

In separate meetings with President Gjorgje Ivanov of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Lubomír Zaorálek, Moldova’s Foreign Minister Andrei Galbur and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Ambassador Zannier discussed domestic and regional security challenges and highlighted the ways that the OSCE could support its participating States on the way forward.

Discussions with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda focused on latest developments, while in his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ambassador Zannier provided an overview of the state of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and emphasized the need for greater transparency and predictability in military activities in Europe.

The OSCE Secretary General held meetings on enhancing co-operation with UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and Secretary General of Interpol Jürgen Stock.

Ambassador Zannier also participated in a discussion on recommendations developed by the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project, where he said the Panel’s proposals offer an important contribution to debates on how to rebuild trust and confidence among OSCE participating States.

During the Conference, the OSCE Secretary General briefed several leading media, including ARD, the Financial Times, Le Monde, Reuters, Swiss Radio and Television, TASS, Ukrinform and the Wall Street Journal.