OSCE, EU Ministers meet to discuss Kazakhstan's Chairmanship priorities, Corfu Process dialogue on European security

BRUSSELS, 26 January 2010 - Kazakhstan's 2010 OSCE Chairmanship priorities, including Afghanistan, protracted conflicts and advancing the dialogue on European security through the OSCE-anchored Corfu Process, were the focus of a Ministerial meeting between the OSCE and the EU in Brussels today.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakh Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, informed the EU side about plans to hold eight meetings within the Corfu process this year and stressed the importance of strengthening the co-operation between the OSCE and the EU.

"Today the concept of European security goes far beyond the borders of the European continent and encompasses the vast expanse of Eurasia. The strong co-operation between the EU and the OSCE - the only regional security organization bringing together the states of the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian areas - is critical if we are to tackle our common security challenges," Saudabayev said.

Saudabayev emphasized the intention of the Kazakh OSCE Chairmanship to have a summit in 2010 and encouraged the participating States to contribute to shaping its agenda. "The summit's main topics could include future European security, rehabilitation of Afghanistan and promoting the value of tolerance," he said.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office underlined that the co-operation with the EU is vital for seeking diplomatic settlement for the protracted conflicts in the OSCE area, including on the basis of solutions in the humanitarian and economic fields. "This is especially relevant in the light of the constructive role the EU has been playing in peacekeeping on the continent and worldwide," he noted.

He reiterated an invitation to his counterparts to attend an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in summer near Almaty.

The EU delegation was led by the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, representing the Spanish EU Presidency. Minister Saudabayev also met European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. He will meet the European Parliament Chairman Jerzy Buzek later today.

Tomorrow he will have a meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The OSCE Troika brings together this year's Chairperson-in-Office with representatives of the previous and incoming Chairmanships. Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarunas, Political Director from the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, represented the 2011 OSCE Chairmanship, while Greece, which chaired the OSCE in 2009, was represented by Ambassador Mara Marinaki, Permanent Representative of Greece to the OSCE.

All 27 EU Member States are participating States of the OSCE.