OSCE Chair Rama and Secretary General Greminger call for reinvigorated security co-operation and dialogue in Europe

VIENNA 25 June 2020 – “Our co-operation is faltering due to a lack of trust. That trust is lacking due to a breakdown in our dialogue, and due to clear and repeated disregard for our principles and commitments. We need change, and we need it now,” said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, while addressing a three-day Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC), which concluded today in Vienna.

OSCE Chair Rama and Secretary General Thomas Greminger urged fresh thinking and reinvigorated co-operation in addressing common security threats in the OSCE region. They recalled the OSCE’s commitments – grounded in shared principles – as a success of multilateralism, and a foundation of the international system upon which security still depends.

Held under the 2020 Albanian Chair, the discussion gathered over 400 participants, high-level representatives of the 57 OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation and partnering organizations with the focus on the politico-military dimension, aiming to foster a more stable and secure Europe.

“The last three days were an open discussion of how we can build more stability though dialogue, and be more forthcoming and focused upon actions that can make a difference to the current security situation,” said Rama.

Rama said that without respect for what we have collectively undertaken, and without a genuine commitment to conversation, we could not hope – or expect - to foster a more stable and secure Europe. “We have to start thinking differently. We must be bolder and openly propose and discuss how we can strive to improve things. We need genuine dialogue – an actual conversation, based on respect, not just presentations and counter-presentations,” said Rama.

Chairperson-in-Office Rama also echoed the UN Secretary-General’s urgent call for a global ceasefire. “Now is the time to pull back from hostilities and put aside mistrust and animosity. We need to act in a spirit of solidarity.If we can adopt a more pro-active mentality, then I am confident we can turn things around and improve security in the OSCE region.”

Greminger, reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, said that the security of the region is not only interconnected, but also interdependent. “We can best protect ourselves by working together to protect each other. This is the core concept of co-operative security – the bedrock principle of the OSCE. The pandemic offers a window of opportunity to increase trust across conflict divides in addressing common threats to health and people’s lives. We still need to see the political will to engage in measures to help conflict-affected populations. There must be a focus on building resilience to crises and the threat of violent conflict,” said Greminger.

Closing the Conference, the Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Igli Hasani, noted that the discussions had deepened the conviction of the Albanian Chairmanship to prioritise three objectives: “Implementing commitments together; making a difference on the ground and building stability through dialogue.”

More about the 2020 Annual Review Conference here.