The 28th annual meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) kicked off in Stockholm with a working dinner on 1 December, hosted by OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
The foreign ministers of the 57 OSCE participating States, including Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Svetlan Stoev, discussed the organisation’s tools for resolving conflicts, the effectiveness of decision-making, and the implementation of a comprehensive security concept in the three dimensions of the OSCE’s work.
Unresolved conflicts in the OSCE region are a serious challenge to European security and a threat to regional stability and development, our Foreign Minister stressed. He underlined the need to resolve them on the basis of international law and the principles of territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of states within the established negotiation formats. Minister Stoev pointed out that this is achievable only in the presence of political will and willingness to compromise.
The OSCE has the necessary tools, but work should still be done to improve their implementation by improving efficiency and building confidence. The organization and the EU have common security interests and their close cooperation is needed to achieve sustainable solutions to ongoing conflicts. Minister Stoev stressed that in the region of the Western Balkans the activities of the OSCE contribute significantly to the establishment of European standards and values, thus supporting the countries on their path to European integration.
Statements were also made by the US Secretary of State, the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway and others. The annual ministerial meeting continues today with plenary sessions.
