OSCE announces members of panel on European security

OSCE announces members of panel on European security

The panel, which will be chaired by German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, will comprise Emma Bonino, Tahsin Burcuoglu, Oleksandr Chaly, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Barbara Haering, Jane Harman, Sergi Kapanadze, Sergey A. Karaganov, Malcolm Rifkind, Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Teija Tiilikainen, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Ivo Viskovic.

In accordance with its mandate, the panel will provide advice on how to reconsolidate European security as a common project, reads a release published by the OSCE.

“In addition to continuing our efforts to restore peace to Ukraine, it is time to also address the broader crisis of European security that has deepened as a result of recent developments, and this panel will help move the respective discussions forward”, said OSCE CiO Dacic.

According to Burkhalter, the participants of the panel should do everything possible to reverse the trend of growing distrust and polarization in Europe.

Steinmeier underscored that the panel can give valuable input to European security through return to a dialogue on how to restore security and cooperation in Europe.

The panel will seek input from participating States, the OSCE Institutions, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, multilateral actors concerned with European security issues, civil society, think tanks, and other relevant actors.

The panel will hold its first meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference on February 8. It is tasked to produce two reports: an interim report, in particular on lessons learned for the OSCE from its engagement in Ukraine, and a final report on the broader issues of security in Europe and the OSCE area at large.

Both reports will contain recommendations on action points for policy makers.

The panel was launched on the initiative of the 2014 Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in close cooperation with Serbia and Germany at the OSCE Ministerial Council 2014 in Basel on December 4.

In addition to continuing our efforts to restore peace to Ukraine, it is time to also address the broader crisis of European security that has deepened as a result of recent developments, reads the Troika's release, adding that the panel is aimed at providing advice on how to reconsolidate European security based on the Paris Charter and Helsinki Final Act.

All 15 participants of the panel have rich experience in diplomacy, starting from chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, a member of the Trilateral Commission, who served as the ambassador to the United Kingdom and the United States, deputy foreign minister of Germany. He also represented the European Union in the Troika negotiations on the future of Kosovo.

Emma Bonino served as Italy's foreign minister, European commissioner and vice-chair of the Italian Senate, and she is currently a board member of the International Crisis Group.

Tahsin Burcuoglu has a distinguished career in the Turkish foreign service that has included important functions such as the ambassador to Greece and France.

Chalyi is Ukraine's former first deputy minister for foreign affairs and foreign policy advisor to the president. He currently serves as the president of Grant Thornton.

Vaira Vike-Freiberga previously served as the president of Latvia, is now president of the Club de Madrid.

Jean-Marie Guéhenno is the UN's former under secretary-general, and has been president of the International Crisis Group since 2014. He also chaired a commission to review the French defense and national security white paper established by President François Hollande.

Barbara Haering is a former MP, CEO of econcept Inc., and also served as the vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Jane Harman served nine terms in the Congress and was the first female director and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center. She is a member of the Defense Policy Board, the State Department Foreign Policy Board, the director of National Intelligence's Senior Advisory Group, the Homeland Security Advisory Committee, the Presidential Debates Commission and the Trilateral Commission where she serves on the Executive Committee. She served on the CIA External Board from 2011-2013.

Sergi Kapanadze is former deputy foreign minister and director of Georgia's Reforms Associates.

Russia's political scientist Sergei A. Karaganov is honorary chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy. Previous positions include: member of the Presidential Council (1993-1998); adviser to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Presidential Executive Office (2001-2007); member of the Academic Council of the MFA of Russia (since 1991); and member of the Academic and Advisory Council, Russian Security Council (since 1993). He was one of the founders of the Institute of Europe of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind is the UK's former foreign secretary, and currently an MP for Kensington. He served in various roles as a Cabinet minister under prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major. In 1997, he was knighted in recognition of his public service.

Adam Daniel Rotfeld is Poland's former foreign minister and professor at Warsaw University. He established the Warsaw Reflection Group on the United Nations Reform and the Transformation of the Euro-Atlantic Security Institutions.

Teija Tiilikainen is Finland's former state secretary and director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is Kazakhstan's former prime minister, chairman of the Senate. He served as director-general of the United Nations Office at Geneva, secretary-general of the Conference on Disarmament and personal representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Conference on Disarmament from 2011 to 2013 and was elected vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in 2008.

Ivo Viskovic currently serves as professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade. He was also Serbia's ambassador to Germany from 2009-2013, and ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro to Slovenia (2001-2004).

According to the OSCE's release, members of the panel will serve in their individual capacity, submit an interim report in June and a final report at the end of the year. The panel will continue working in 2016 and will be financed through voluntary contributions.

"Great recognition"

Serbia will formally take over the OSCE chairmanship from Switzerland at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on January 15.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will present the priorities of the chairmanship before the Permanent Council and, as he put it, Serbia will have a solemn duty to become a credible chair that enjoys the trust of all sides and that will take measures and steps towards de-escalation of conflicts.

Dacic told Tanjug that the OSCE chairmanship is a great recognition.

The priorities will be related to conflicts in numerous countries, primarily in Ukraine, he said, adding that the Western Balkans will certainly be an important issue during Serbia's OSCE chairmanship.

“Our assignment is to create such international conditions for our economy and society to develop and our country to achieve its strategic goal, namely the EU membership,” Dacic said.