OSCE Chairman discusses reform, election-monitoring with Russian Foreign Minister

MOSCOW, 1 February 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, discussed OSCE reform, the Organization's election-monitoring activities and a range of regional issues in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday.

The Chairman-in-Office said he was encouraged by the open and candid discussions and by the commitment of the Russian Federation to making the 55-nation security organization more effective.

"We share a common desire to strengthen the OSCE and make it more effective and responsive to the needs of all participating States," Minister Rupel said.

He welcomed Russia's support for the priorities of the Slovenian Chairmanship and its goal of "reforming, revitalising and rebalancing" the OSCE. "After today's talks I am also more optimistic that a solution to the issue of contributions by OSCE countries to the organization's budget can be found."

The Chairman-in-Office appealed to all OSCE countries to show flexibility and a willingness to compromise so negotiations on financial contributions and the 2005 budget can be concluded quickly.

He said the Slovenian Chairmanship took Russia's concerns about the future of the Organization very seriously.

"Russia plays a vital role in the OSCE at all levels, from the Minister himself down to the Russian diplomats, police officers and other officials who serve with distinction in OSCE field missions and institutions," the Chairman-in-Office said.

"I share Russia's desire to pay more balanced attention to all aspects of security - the politico-military and economic and environmental as well as the human dimension. The Chairmanship is open to the proposal to hold a seminar on military doctrine and a conference on energy security this year."

Regional issues discussed included Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova/Transdniestria and Nagorno-Karabakh.

On elections, the Chairman-in-Office said he was open to a discussion on ways of making OSCE election-monitoring even more effective, but this should build on the excellent existing achievements of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

He encouraged the Russian Federation to send more observers to take part in OSCE election missions and expressed support for the idea of bringing together election experts from the OSCE and from CIS countries to share information on their methodologies.