OSCE Office in Minsk promotes dialogue on European security

MINSK, 29 April 2009 - A conference on "Trans-European Security Architecture, models and issues", initiated by the OSCE Office in Minsk, was held at the Belarusian State University's Faculty of International Relations today.

The event brought together foreign and national experts with more than 80 students and faculty staff to discuss the future of European security.

Ambassador Hans-Jochen Schmidt, the Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk said: "The recent past has painfully shown how dangerous it is to solve regional conflicts by force. We have to ensure that European security will not be dominated by unilateral and frequently confrontational approaches, particularly in the management of 'simmering' regional conflicts. Such approaches fundamentally contradict the principle of co-operative security, to which the OSCE States committed themselves in the 1990 Charter of Paris."

Schmidt added: "The OSCE offers three distinct advantages for a renewed, sustained and inclusive security dialogue, namely inclusiveness - the fact that all States are represented on an equal basis - comprehensiveness - the fact that the OSCE can address politico-military, economic/environmental and human dimension issues, and examine the links between them - and long experience.

The conference is part of a co-operation with the international relations faculty to promote understanding of OSCE values and commitments. In July, students will be invited to write a short essay on European security that will be assessed by a jury of OSCE and University representatives. The prize for the three best entries will be a study trip to the OSCE Secretariat.

In June the Faculty and the OSCE will publish a booklet comprising contributions from the experts attending the conference as well as from a conference held in 2008 with the participation of the Hamburg-based Centre for OSCE Research.