VIENNA – During its chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) next year, Serbia will use experience to offer contribution to stability and peace in the world, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said at the meeting of the OSCE’s Permanent Council in Vienna Tuesday.
Lessons from the past show that sustainable solutions can only be achieved through dialogue, Dacic said while presenting the priorities of Serbia’s OSCE chairmanship in 2015.
He recalled that two years before, Switzerland and Serbia had decided to do something unique – take up a two-year consecutive chairmanship as a joint response to challenges facing the OSCE.
Dacic stressed that during the Serbian chairmanship, special attention would be devoted to the Western Balkans as a region that had faced a lot of problems and suffering in the past.
The situation has changed considerably, but further efforts are needed to enhance stability, Dacic said, adding that regional reconciliation would be a major priority.
He said that today, Serbia and other countries in the region were committed to accelerating the process of European integration and regional cooperation.
Touching on the role of the OSCE, the Serbian foreign minister especially praised the engagement of the organization’s mission in Kosovo.
During its chairmanship, Serbia will cooperate closely with Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Western Balkans, Ambassador Gerard Stoudmann, and also continue activities started by Switzerland, Dacic said.
He also stated that Serbia would make efforts to ensure that a high-level conference on illegal immigration, planned to be organized by Switzerland in cooperation with Southeast European countries, be held the following year.
Given the improvements concerning the situation in the region, we are confident that there are opportunities for horizontal cooperation between the OSCE missions on the ground, Dacic said, announcing that, as future chairman-in-office, he planned to visit all of the OSCE missions on the ground, including the one in Kosovo.
He stressed that the lessons Serbia had learnt in recent past could be useful for other regions and Serbia stood ready to share its experience with others.
Dacic noted that the current crisis in Ukraine could have an impact on frozen conflicts, which is why he would make additional efforts to ensure regular sessions in the already present dialogue formats be held during Serbia’s presidency.
Dacic said that the responsibility rested on the sides involved in the conflict, but he also expressed certainty that small, but still tangible, steps could contribute to an increased trust between them.
The experience of the Western Balkans shows that tangible and sustainable solutions can only be reached through dialogue and real political measures, Dacic said and added that for that very reason, Serbia would focus more on the OSCE mediation efforts.
The Serbian foreign minister noted that in 2014, the organisation had faced one of the most intense crises in its history, which demonstrated the importance of the OSCE.
Dacic stated that the OSCE’s decision to send a special monitoring mission to Ukraine had helped de-escalate the situation.
Despite the incidents with mission members taken hostage, the presence of the OSCE staff on the ground is very important at this point, Dacic said, stressing that Serbia supported the efforts of the mission in Ukraine and advocated for extension of its mandate without delays.
Serbia supports all the activities aimed at restoring peace and ending conflicts. Without this, an inclusive national dialogue to facilitate stabilization cannot be established, Dacic said.
He said that 2015 year would mark the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Charter which, together with the UN Charter, might well be the most important document in modern history.
Dacic expressed the hope that the anniversary would be used as an opportunity for OSCE reformation through the Helsinki +40 Process.
