Chairmanship

The "Corfu Process" was launched in June 2009 at an informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers on the Greek island of Corfu. It aims to restore confidence and take forward dialogue on wider European security.

OSCE foreign ministers first discussed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's proposal for a renewed dialogue on European security at the Helsinki Ministerial Council in December 2008. As the only regional organization bringing together all states in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian areas, and with its comprehensive security concept and rich experience in the field and as a negotiating platform, the OSCE is the natural anchor for such a dialogue.

Following the Corfu meeting, OSCE Ambassadors have been meeting regularly in Vienna as part of the dialogue. At the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens in December 2009, participating States reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the Corfu Process.

In 2010 Kazakhstan's OSCE Chairmanship took forward the Corfu Process forward through informal, regular and open-ended meetings, at the level of Permanent Representatives in Vienna, reinforced by capitals as appropriate. These meetings laid the ground for the discussions at the OSCE Summit in Astana on 1-2 December 2010.