Mr. Secretary General of the OSCE,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In less than two months, Greece will take on the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the largest regional security organization in the UN system.

The OSCE has 56 member states, covering a geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok, and take decisions unanimously.

The OSCE Chairmanship is always a challenge for any country that takes on this demanding task; this demanding mission.

And the endeavor is even more complex and difficult in the current international environment, the only stable characteristic of which may be the fluidity and polymorphism of the challenges the international community is facing.

The current international financial crisis, which concerns and affects everyone, increases this fluidity.

Security has long ceased to be a one-dimensional notion focused exclusively on armed crises and conflicts between states.

In our time, security is multidimensional.

From protection of the environment to confronting international economic inequalities; from the defense and promotion of human rights and the rule of law to addressing international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

And this is where the OSCE’s comparative advantage over the other international bodies active in our broader region comes in.

Thanks to the vision of those who drew up the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE has been built on the foundation of a comprehensive approach to security. This allows it to adapt to the distinctive characteristics of given crises that it is called upon to confront.

Politico-military, economic-environmental and human: These are the three dimensions of the OSCE’s activities. Three dimensions that comprise its task and work in Vienna and in its 19 missions in some of the most sensitive region’s of Eurasia.

To meet common challenges and threats, we need joint, coordinated activities and actions:

·       Multilateral diplomatic action

·       Substantial dialogue

·       Consensual and cohesive policies for confronting problems

·       Prompt undertaking of agreed-upon actions

These are the basic elements, the basic characteristics, the four fundamental requirements for effectively meeting the demand for greater security and stability.

The OSCE has the institutional and political infrastructure to meet these demands.

But not alone, of course.

Also required is the closest possible communication and cooperation with other international organizations, such as the EU, NATO, the Council of Europe and, of course, the UN first and foremost, I would say.

We need the active participation of each of the Organization’s 56 Participating States.

Above all, we need strong political will to maximize the potential, the added value, that the OSCE has by its very nature.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Greece believes in the OSCE.

Greece believes in its capabilities and the contribution it can make to the common pursuit of greater security and stability; security and stability that are, moreover, a necessary prerequisite for dealing with the economic problems that all of us are facing.

The Greek Chairmanship will endeavor to the best of its abilities to meet the exacting obligations of the mission it is undertaking.

We are concluding our preparations – despite the objectively limited amount of time at our disposal due to the change in the Organization’s initial planning for the succession of Chairmanships from 2009-2011.

We have but one aspiration: To carry out an active Chairmanship as an honest broker.

A substantial Chairmanship base on three principles:

1.      Respect for the Organization’s regulations

2.      Pursuit of optimum convergence and consensus

3.      Strengthening of the presence and role that the OSCE can have in early warning, prevention and management of conflicts and crises.

Our attention and time will be focused in particular on the region of the Caucasus and Central Asia, with emphasis, obviously, on the aftermath of the crisis in Georgia.

Non-recourse to violence as a means for settling disputes and respect for the territorial integrity of states have always been two of the fundamental principles of our foreign policy.

Greece will move within the framework of its competencies with great care, responsibility and – wherever necessary – with resolve, as, I repeat, an honest broker, in order to strengthen the prospects for the peaceful resolution of the Georgia issue.

I am scheduling a number of visits to these regions, beginning immediately after we take up the responsibilities of the Chairmanship.

We will very carefully monitor the progress of the OSCE observer mission, as well as the course of the negotiation process that is under way in Geneva.

It is within this framework that we stress the vital importance of ongoing and substantial communication, collaboration and coordination with all of those immediately involved in the negotiations.

A few days ago, I met here in Athens with my Georgian counterpart, and I am looking forward to stepping up contacts and consultations with Russia, whose bearing on this issue is beyond question. Yesterday, I spoke on the phone with my Russian counterpart regarding this matter.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The crisis in August shattered long-standing perceptions regarding security in the region of Eurasia.

In the end, this crisis may function as a springboard for a broader discussion of a new, comprehensive security architecture that will take into account the changes in the geopolitical map of Europe; EU enlargement, the evolution of NATO and the strategic role of Russia.

Some of the Organization’s key Participating States, such as France and Russia, have argued in favour of initiating such a dialogue. Whether this dialogue will eventually reach the level of a Summit Meeting remains to be seen.

The discussion is currently under way. But time is short. At the upcoming Ministerial Meeting in Helsinki, we will have to agree on some more specific directions and, if possible, come to some specific decisions.

Greece recognizes the need to carry out an open and substantial dialogue. We believe that such a dialogue is useful and necessary. Provided the Participating States decide in favour of this dialogue, we – as the Chairmanship – are prepared to host any meeting decided upon.

We will be in ongoing communication with all of our partners.

The European Union and NATO will continue to play a decisive role as discrete poles of security in our region.

The U.S. and Russia each weigh in heavily, and it is a good thing – it is the great added value of the OSCE – that both countries are Participating States.

Finally, we mustn’t forget our partners in Central Asia. Kazakhstan will be the first OSCE Chairmanship from this region, in 2010.

The OSCE has also invested in enhancing its relations with the Mediterranean and Asian partners, and Greece will further strengthen this cooperation.

The strengthening of the Organization itself is among our priorities.

The structural problems deriving from the Organization’s evolutionary course from a ‘relaxed’ forum for dialogue between Cold-War adversaries to an Organization that took on a concrete form in 1994 need to be addressed. To date, the OSCE has no legal personality. Tangible progress must be made on this issue. The definitive resolution of this issue will give the OSCE the impetus to adequately meet the increasing demands for its substantial presence in areas of tension, such as Afghanistan, Kosovo and Georgia.

We will pay particular attention to the budget, which needs to be equal to the demands to which I just referred.

It is true that the OSCE is asked to do a lot with very little.

The least that we can do, as Participating States, is give it the means to become more effective.

Above all, consensus must be forged among the Participating states if the Organization is to be successful.

We will spare no effort to bridge – step by step, if necessary – the diverging views that exist, so that we can build the necessary consensus, with full respect for transparency and with the greatest possible flow of information to public opinion as well as to the governments of the 56 Participating States.

The smooth functioning of the Organization is the primary, basic prerequisite for every action, and thus will be a fundamental priority of our Chairmanship.

Greek public opinion is becoming familiar with the OSCE and its work.

I hope that our Chairmanship will bring the OSCE closer to the Greek people. And I want to take this opportunity to urge all Greeks who are interested in a unique international work experience to become members of the OSCE family and make their interest known. Greek representation at the Organization is currently limited, but the Organization needs capable personnel.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The OSCE is more that just the sum of its parts. It is a living organism that since the 1970s has stood by the peoples of Europe in their efforts to realize the vision of more security, more stability, more democracy.

It is with a strong sense of responsibility that we will shortly take over for Finland at the helm of the Organization, and we congratulate the Finnish Chairmanship on its efforts. In view of our upcoming Chairmanship, we have but one promise to make to our partners: “you can put your trust in Greece.”

Source: MFA

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