Serbia "honored" by OSCE role "in difficult time"

Serbia "honored" by OSCE role "in difficult time"

During a seminar entitled 'OSCE - litmus test of the security community in development', Dačić said that OSCE is facing one of the biggest challenges since its constitution, and underscored that the crisis in Ukraine constitutes a major challenge for European security, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Instead of nurturing the spirit of cooperation, distrust is prevailing, Dačić said and added that this is not the first major challenge for the European security since the end of the Cold War.

The perspective of a successful search for a solution to the crisis can transform the current security environment into a mutually beneficial security community which we have been striving to achieve for a long while, Dačić said.

He welcomed the initiative of Swiss President Didier Burkhalter as the OSCE chair to instil fresh energy into the Helsinki +40 process in the time to come and the proposition to set up a panel of famous figures with a view to drawing up an assessment of the current state and the drafting of recommendations.

As of today until the Ministerial Council in Basel, we are ready to closely cooperate with Switzerland in the preparation of such propositions and formulate them in such a way which would be acceptable for all member countries, the Serbian foreign minister said.

For OSCE to retain a relevant role, its capacities need to be strengthened as well as the mechanisms for active response to conflicts, from early alerts to post-conflict rehabilitation and reconciliation, he noted.

Having in mind the experiences in the Western Balkans, Dačić underscored that tangible and sustainable solutions can be achieved only through a constructive political action and dialogue. He underscored that Serbia supports the renewed and systematic OSCE efforts in terms of strengthening of its mediation capacities.

Dačić noted that the crisis in Ukraine should be regarded in the context of pre-emptive actions against repetition of such situations in the OSCE territory in the future.

In order to achieve this, member countries should work on reinforcement of the consensus on European security, primarily by confirming the basic OSCE norms, principles and obligations and their full implementation in good faith, Dačić said.

In the light of latest developments in Ukraine, Dačić expressed the expectation that the Minsk Protocol and the Minsk Memorandum on the implementation of ceasefire would mark the beginning of a comprehensive peace keeping process which will both ensure security in the field and make room for inclusive political processes in Ukraine.

The special observation mission in Ukraine should play the key role in this context, Dačić said.

According to him, the crisis in Ukraine is an unpleasant reminder of the urgency of joint action and approach based on dialogue, with examination of the areas of common interest with a view to creating an environment suitable for restoration of trust among member countries.

We believe that the Helsinki 40+ process provides the adequate framework for the search for a solution to the issue, Dačić said and expressed the hope that essential progress would be made in the process in Belgrade next year, when OSCE should celebrate its 40th anniversary.

This is in keeping with our goal concerning Serbia's transformation into a long-term positive contributor to European security, Dačić noted.