...

OSCE Launches Post-Astana Summit Discussions

Politics Materials 16 March 2011 16:46 (UTC +04:00)
The Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship on 15 March 2011 launched a series of discussions among the 56 participating States as a follow-up to the 2010 OSCE Astana Summit.
OSCE Launches Post-Astana Summit Discussions

Azerbaijan , Baku, 16 March/ corr. Trend E.Ostapenko/

The Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship on 15 March 2011 launched a series of discussions among the 56 participating States as a follow-up to the 2010 OSCE Astana Summit, the Organization press-release said.

The Astana Commemorative Declaration, adopted at the Summit, tasked the incoming OSCE chairmanships with organizing a follow-up process to the Summit.

The first ambassadorial meeting was devoted to OSCE's role in managing conflict cycle.

In his introductory note Ambassador Renatas Norkus, the Chairperson of the Permanent Council, emphasized the need for a pragmatic approach aimed at translating initiatives and ideas of the Corfu process and of preparation for the Astana Summit into practical deliverables to be agreed by OSCE Foreign Ministers later this year in Vilnius.

Concrete initiatives to address conflict prevention were suggested by Herbert Salber, the Director of the OSCE Secretariat's Conflict Prevention Centre.

"Acting preventively and responding in a timely manner requires not only political will, but also money, staff and operational support in the field," he said.

There are three main conflicts in the OSCE area which are Georgian, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transdniestrian conflicts.

The dialogue aims to promote exchanges on topics related to security and co-operation in the OSCE area, such as conflict prevention and resolution; transnational threats; energy and environmental issues; and security and human rights. It builds on the Corfu Process, an informal OSCE-anchored, wide-ranging strategic dialogue that was launched by OSCE Foreign Ministers in June 2009 during an informal meeting on the Greek island of Corfu.

The Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship plans to also hold topic-focused expert discussions to contribute to the dialogue among the 56 participating States.

Tags:
Latest

Latest