Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan addresses OSCE Permanent Council, discusses initiatives to address contemporary security challenges

Initiatives to collectively develop a new platform of action for all OSCE participating States for the long-term perspective were in focus of the address of Rashid Meredov, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, to the OSCE Permanent Council on 27 February 2014.

He stressed the importance of the “Helsinki+40” process aimed at reforming the OSCE in order to enhance its role within the international community and responsiveness to modern security challenges, in this regard, and suggested that one of the “Helsinki+40” priorities should be elaboration of a single OSCE security strategy. He suggested intensifying the work of the OSCE in the Forum for Security Co-operation, a key decision-making body of the OSCE in the politico-military dimension.

Creating centres of preventive diplomacy to address root causes of conflict situations threatening security in the OSCE region, would strengthen the OSCE’s capacity to prevent and manage conflicts, Minister said, adding that Turkmenistan as a neutral country would be ready to take active part in this work in the future.

In the economic and environmental field, Meredov said, development of an economic concept and a comprehensive environmental programme of the OSCE, and better co-ordination of work in the field of energy, transport and trade, would benefit all participating States and their people.

A prerequisite of effective work in human dimension, Minister stressed, is a “higher level of mutual understanding between the participating States”.

“The experience of working together to foster the climate of trust on the transcontinental scale, addressing critical socio-economic and environmental challenges, ensuring rights and freedoms of people in the OSCE region will be a good basis for developing a new platform of action for all participating States in the long term,” Meredov said.

The Permanent Council is a main decision-making body of the 57-country OSCE. It meets weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make appropriate decisions.