OSCE Ministerial Council: new security partnership in Europe
Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Alexander Stubb and President Tarja Halonen
(OSCE/Petri Kroog)
The Georgian crisis, disarmament issues and proposals on European security in the twenty-first century dominated the agenda of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Helsinki. Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier stressed that the OSCE would remain a cornerstone of security and stability in Europe.
After the meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Steinmeier emphasized the importance of the Organization, noting that the war in Georgia in August had shown that also in Europe "mistrust and the old confrontational mindsets" had once again taken over. It was thanks to the efforts of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the French EU Council Presidency that a ceasefire in Georgia had been negotiated so quickly. He saw a "renaissance of the OSCE" ahead.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was founded following the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in 1975, which concluded by adopting the Helsinki Final Act. With 56 participating states, the OSCE is the only security organization of which all European countries and the successor states to the Soviet Union as well as the United States and Canada are members (the 56th participating state, Montenegro, joined on 22 June 2006). Its current Secretary General is Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. The rotating Chairmanship is held by Finland until the end of the year.
According to Steinmeier, it is now "urgent" to reach agreement by the end of the year on a new mandate for the OSCE mission to Georgia. That will mean some "tough discussions" over the days ahead.
The current mandate of the OSCE mission, which includes also 28 military monitors, is due to expire at the end of December.
OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki, 4 December 2008
(OSCE/Graham Patterson)
New security partnership in Europe
The goal of a just pan-European peace order extending from Vancouver to Vladivostok remains valid, Steinmeier emphasized. In an article published on the occasion of the OSCE meeting, Steinmeier wrote: "We cannot achieve security and stability in our common European house by confrontation. What is needed is close cooperation – not just in the fight against terrorism but on all the major challenges we face, from the financial crisis to climate change".
Russian President Medvedev has proposed a pan-European security agreement. President Sarkozy has suggested an OSCE summit to explore this. These are open doors that we should walk through and not walk straight past, Steinmeier pointed out. With the incoming US Administration, he saw an opportunity for a new start. Showing a keen interest in these proposals is now crucial, he argued. The openness with which they are being discussed by the participating states proves the OSCE is the right forum for such debates.
According to Steinmeier, it is essential to restore lost trust, which is why confidence-building measures in the field of disarmament, regional stability in the Caucasus and in the NATO-Russia Council are now so important.
Progress on disarmament imperative
Steinmeier called for a "new start" on arms control, noting that we cannot allow the crisis in the CFE regime to lead to the loss of this "pillar of European security". That was why he would shortly be inviting prominent experts from CFE countries to Germany to facilitate this new beginning.
The CFE Treaty was signed by the members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact in 1990 and has been in force since 1992. It introduced limits for five categories of conventional weapons and established a comprehensive notification, information and verification system. To bring the treaty into line with post-Cold War realities, an Adaptation Agreement was negotiated and signed in Istanbul in 1999. But before it can be ratified, Russia must – in the opinion of the NATO members – fulfil various outstanding obligations. These include in particular the removal of stockpiles and withdrawal of armed forces from Moldova.
Last updated 04.12.2008
