OSCE Chairperson discusses 2011 priorities in Moscow, says constructive engagement of Russia essential to Organization

MOSCOW, 2 February 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis met with Russian high-level politicians and officials in Moscow today to outline the priorities of the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship and to discuss the Organization’s activities in 2011.

“The constructive engagement of the Russian Federation, the EU, the United States and other OSCE participating States, in all three dimensions – the politico-military, the economic and environmental, as well as the human - is essential to the effective work of the Organization,” Ažubalis said at the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Ažubalis noted the positive contribution of Russia to the 2010 OSCE Summit in Astana and said that Lithuania, as the 2011 OSCE Chairmanship, will build on proposals made during summit preparations.

“We will focus on a few concrete priorities, such as advancing settlement of unresolved conflicts within existing formats, promoting media freedom, energy security dialogue and promoting regional co-operation,” Ažubalis said.

Ažubalis said that he counts on support by the Russian Federation in fulfilling the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship‘s work programme, including in the human dimension: "An open and constructive dialogue on issues important to all 56 OSCE participating States is the right way to achieve progress and keep up with the political commitments that we all agreed to, most recently at the Astana Summit."

He reiterated his condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the 24 January terrorist attack in Moscow. He added that the attack sadly demonstrated that all stakeholders must unite in efforts to combat terrorism and transnational threats. ”We can fight such threats effectively only through co-ordinated efforts of all national, regional and international actors,” he stressed.

He said that the OSCE values Russia’s contribution to addressing transnational threats related to terrorism, cyber security and drug trafficking, to intensifying OSCE engagement with Afghanistan, and to working in all other spheres of the OSCE’s activities.

The Chairmanship also aims to achieve tangible progress on the protracted conflicts during 2011, Ažubalis said. “We will work to resume official negotiations in '5+2' format on Transdniestria and build on the positive dynamics achieved last year. We support the Geneva international discussions and the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and promote confidence building between the parties to the conflict,” he said. “In this context, we support Russia’s efforts aimed at making progress towards a negotiated settlement.”

Ažubalis praised the role of OSCE field operations, saying they “provide an invaluable service in helping the participating States fulfill their commitments.”

During his three-day visit Ažubalis will also meet with the Head of the Duma’s International Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev; Mikhail Fedotov, the Chairperson of the Council on civil society development and human rights under the President of the RF; and the Ombudsman of Human Rights of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Lukin, as well as with representatives of civil society, think tanks and the media.