Time to replace the culture of confrontation with co-operation and joint action, says OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Dačić

VIENNA, 17 June 2015 - Replacing the current culture of confrontation with one of co-operation and joint action will make European security architecture more resilient, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said today as he addressed a meeting of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) Core Group and members of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project.

It was essential to find ways to re-engage in joint efforts with the aim of strengthening security across the whole OSCE area, he said.

“Restoring trust and confidence among OSCE participating States while respecting our fundamental shared principles and commitments should be the essential elements of our joint endeavour.

“One of the key lessons we have learned from the OSCE response to the crisis in and around Ukraine is that we need to strengthen the Organization’s capacity to prevent and respond to conflicts. But the participating States could also make better use of the OSCE as a platform for overcoming the existing divide, restoring trust, and rebuilding a co-operative approach to common security challenges.” he said.

He thanked the Panel of Eminent Persons for their work so far and welcomed the launch of their Interim Report, which focuses on lessons learnt for the OSCE from its engagement in Ukraine. He said their findings will contribute to the discussion on the further development of the OSCE and that he looked forward to their final report in December which would cover broader issues of security in Europe and the OSCE area at large.

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier also welcomed the publication of the Interim Report.

“The OSCE remains vital as a forum for dialogue and is already playing an important role in helping to de-escalate the conflict in and around Ukraine,” he said. “This Report provides useful recommendations on how the Organization could work even more effectively and is therefore a timely and important contribution to the discussion on how to overcome the current divisions in Europe.”

The Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project was launched by the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in conjunction with the OSCE Troika in December 2014, and consists of 15 eminent personalities with long-standing practical expertise in European security in all its dimensions from all OSCE regions.

The MSC Core Group Meetings are an annual event supplementing the much larger Munich Security Conference. The Core Group Meetings bring together small groups of a few dozen senior leaders in different locations around the world.