Ukrainian Foreign Minister outlines country’s agenda for 2013 OSCE Chairmanship

VIENNA, 20 June 2012 – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, outlining in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council today the main tasks on Ukraine’s agenda for its 2013 Chairmanship, stressed the country’s commitment to strengthening the OSCE, promoting balance in all spheres of the Organization’s work, and increasing the OSCE effectiveness in addressing conflicts.

Gryshchenko emphasized Ukraine’s determination to contribute to the establishment of an OSCE security community, and promote the Organization’s values and implementation of commitments across the politico-military, environmental and economic, and human dimensions.

In the political and military sphere, Gryshchenko said Ukraine would seek to promote openness, transparency and co-operation: “This is particularly important for the security of those OSCE participating States that do not belong to any politico-military alliances.”

“Ukraine sees merit in initiating a new dialogue within the OSCE aimed at elaborating fundamental principles of future conventional arms control applicable to all OSCE participating States.”

He voiced Ukraine’s support for OSCE efforts in responding to emerging transnational threats and emphasized the importance of increasing OSCE effectiveness in early warning and early action.

“A constantly growing stimulus should be given to the collective practical efforts aimed at resolving protracted conflicts in the OSCE area,” Gryshchenko said. He stressed Ukraine’s commitment to the Transdniestrian settlement process by “actively facilitating progress in the established ‘5+2’ format”, and said that “sustainable and long-term settlement of the protracted conflicts in the OSCE area can be achieved only by peaceful means”.

In the economic and environmental field, the major focus will be on the environmental impact of energy-related activities, energy saving and renewable sources of energy, Gryshchenko said.

“Promotion of implementation of the existing commitments in the human dimension will be at the top of the Ukrainian Chairmanship’s agenda,” he said. “We will do our utmost in steering the complex activities of this Organization towards ensuring the necessary continuity in the human dimension and keeping, in a coherent manner, the much-needed balance between the three OSCE dimensions.”

“We consider the OSCE’s autonomous institutions, The High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Representative on Freedom of the Media as the OSCE’s greatest assets, as they have specific expertise in their respective fields which are unique among international organizations,” he said, emphasizing that the role of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in achieving the goals of the OSCE cannot be underestimated: “Ukraine as the Chairmanship will continue to support the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s constructive engagement.”

The Minister underlined the importance of raising the OSCE’s profile and enhancing co-ordination with major partners. “Transformation into a full-fledged international organization will definitely produce a revival of interest in the OSCE, help achieve its new operating status of a recognizable, respectable and well-positioned entity, and harmonize its relationship with other international actors in a mutually supportive way,” Gryshchenko said.

The Permanent Council is one of the OSCE's main regular decision-making bodies. It convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make decisions.