OSCE, UN, EU join efforts for strengthening stability in South Caucasus
06.02.2010 12:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In light of the daunting challenges facing the
international community, the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe is determined to contribute meaningfully to the enhancement
of security in its region and beyond, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office,
Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev
said.

"I strongly believe that a better use of the OSCE’s capabilities would
help the UN and its Security Council to more effectively prevent
security threats and respond to them," Saudabayev said. "We intend to
strengthen the OSCE in every possible way and to enhance its
effectiveness and its ability to adequately respond to emerging
challenges and threats."

Saudabayev mentioned that, to a large extent, the implementation of
the Chairmanship’s priorities will depend on the participating States’
ability to enhance trust among themselves and to eliminate the
vestiges of Cold War dividing lines that still exist in the OSCE area.

Saudabayev emphasized to the Security Council that the Kazakh
Chairmanship will make an effort to contribute to the resolution of
protracted conflicts with particular attention to those in the
post-Soviet area. "Taking into account our shared history and
closeness in terms of mentality, we hope to give some impetus to the
efforts of our partners involved in that complex process," he said.

Saudabayev noted that the Kazakh Chairmanship will closely monitor
protracted conflicts and identify all signs of potential escalation
making good use of the OSCE preventive mechanisms.

The Chairperson-in-Office will travel to the South Caucasus on
February 15. He mentioned that the OSCE, the UN, and the European
Union co-chair the Geneva Discussions. "Further close co-ordination
among all parties is of great importance to promote stability in the
South Caucasus and to create favorable conditions for their peaceful
settlement," he added.

The Chairperson-in-Office also underscored the importance of OSCE-UN
co-operation in promoting security and stability in South-Eastern
Europe. In Kosovo, Saudabayev said, the OSCE Mission will continue to
implement its mandate as an integral part of the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), based on the UN Security
Council resolution 1244.

Beyond these specific examples of OSCE-UN co-operation, the
Chairperson-in-Office underscored the broader potential of the OSCE as
a forum for comprehensive and inclusive security dialogue. "A relevant
dialogue will provide us with an opportunity to strengthen relations
of the OSCE with the UN, in accordance with the 1999 Platform for
Co-operative Security. We count on the contribution of the UN and its
structures to this process," he added.

Saudabayev underscored that such dialogue should include the OSCE
Partners for Co-operation. Last December, at the Athens Ministerial
Council, the Organization welcomed Australia as the 12th Partner for
Co-operation, a fact that shows the Organization’s determination to
broaden dialogue with partners beyond its zone of responsibility, in
order to maintain international peace and security, the OSCE said in a
press release.

With 56 States drawn from Europe, Central Asia and America, the OSCE
is the world’s largest regional security organization, bringing
comprehensive and co-operative security to a region that stretches
from Vancouver to Vladivostok. It offers a forum for political
negotiations and decision-making in the fields of early warning,
conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict
rehabilitation, and puts the political will of the participating
States into practice through its unique network of field missions.