OSCE Chairman-in-Office Jaime Gama receives Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov

Lisbon, 23 January, 2002 - OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama, received his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov, here for official discussions. In a meeting of two hours, followed by a working lunch, the ministers spoke about several issues on the OSCE agenda.

During the meeting institutional and regional matters were discussed, with particular attention being given to the fight against terrorism, namely the Chairmanship's proposals for the appointment of a Personal Representative, promoting a conference of secretaries-general from the international organizations in the spirit of the Platform for Co-operative Security, and seeding the ground for eventual approval of an OSCE charter against terrorism.

Among institutional issues, the discussions were centred on the budget, reform of the OSCE, co-operation with other international organizations and legal capacity. With respect to regional matters, particular attention was paid to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Central Asia, Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova and the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The discussions were characterized by an atmosphere of wide understanding, constructive exchange of views and firm co-operation among the two parties.