As OSCE chair Serbia to deal with Ukraine, promote Balkans

As OSCE chair Serbia to deal with Ukraine, promote Balkans

"Overcoming the recent painful past and the development of regional cooperation in recent years could serve as an example to conflict areas that are on the agenda of the OSCE. Drawing on the experience that we ourselves have with the OSCE, we advocate in favor of its presence in the field and we are confident that there is room for improvement of the horizontal cooperation of the organizations' missions," he said.

Sahović expects the OSCE Ministerial Council, to be held on December 4 and 5 in Basel marking the end of Switzerland's chairmanship, to provide guidelines for 2015.

"The most important current issues for the OSCE will be discussed in Basel. Without a doubt, it is the situation in Ukraine - or as many in the organization say, 'in and around Ukraine' - and its implications for the existing system of European security. This crisis has preoccupied the Swiss presidency this year," said Sahovic.

He pointed out that it turned out the OSCE is the only international organization able to respond in a concrete way and establishing crisis resolution mechanisms in the field, including its Special Monitoring Mission.

"As the future chairman, we are ready to continue to direct these activities in a constructive, objective and transparent manner. From the Ministerial Council in Basel we expect guidelines for this work in the next year," says Sahovic.

This includes the work of a panel of eminent personalities to be formed by the Swiss presidency in Basel with the task to consider how to, in the light of the Ukrainian crisis, reaffirm the basic principles of the OSCE and in general consolidate the European security architecture.

Other issues will be discussed in Basel, including the fight against terrorism and the problem of "foreign fighters" engaged in Syria and Iraq, the strengthening of the principles of good governance and the fight against corruption.

Speaking about the priorities of the Serbian chairmanship, Sahovic said they are based on the common agenda of Switzerland and Serbia, which Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic presented in July at a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

Within the first, "political-military dimension," Serbia will pay particular attention to cyber security, the fight against terrorism and management and reform of the security sector.

"In the economic and environmental dimension" the priorities are water management issues aimed at reducing the the risk from natural disasters, and the fight against corruption.

In the third, "human dimension" the focus are national institutions for protection of human rights, e-democracy, protection of national minorities, freedom of assembly and association, and the fight against hate crimes.

"There are, of course, other topics that will be addressed. Thus we have included youth activities and strengthening of cooperation with the civil society among our priorities," said Sahovic.