OSCE Chairman says it's time for Belarus to open a new chapter

MINSK, 7 October 2008 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, said today that the Organization remains keen to enhance meaningful co-operation with Belarus.

"I prefer engagement to isolation," Minister Stubb said. "In the OSCE, Belarus is an active participating State, not an isolated state."

Recognizing the importance of Belarus as a key player for regional stability, Stubb said that the OSCE remains ready to assist Belarus in its endeavours to implement its OSCE commitments and pursue a constructive role with the wider international community.

"I had fruitful meetings with President Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov, as well as with representatives of civil society and various political parties. I trust these meetings will serve to create a sustainable platform for further dialogue while outlining a roadmap for pending reforms in Belarus," Minister Stubb said. "This important moment for Belarus, marked by encouraging recent developments, deserves the full attention of the OSCE."

Hans-Jochen Schmidt, head of the OSCE Office in Minsk, said: "The Organization plays a positive role in Belarus and we look forward to fostering regional co-operation with Belarus, notably in the fields of border security, transport and combating trafficking of human beings."

The OSCE Office in Minsk was created in 1997. The visit of Minister Stubb was the first to Belarus by an OSCE Chairman-in-Office since 2004.