OSCE Troika meets with Partners for Co-operation in Bucharest

BUCHAREST, 3 December 2001 (OSCE) - On the eve of the Ministerial Council of the 55 participating States of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, taking place on 3 and 4 December in Bucharest, the OSCE Ministerial Troika held a meeting on 2 December dedicated to relations with the OSCE Partners for Co-operation.

The OSCE Ministerial Troika is composed of the current Chairman-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana; the Chairman-in-Office for 2000, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, represented yesterday by the Austrian Ambassador to the OSCE in Vienna; and the incoming Chairman-in-Office, the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Jaime Gama. Also participating in the meeting was the Secretary General of the OSCE, Jan Kubis.

While the means of strengthening the relations between the OSCE and its Co-operation Partners formed the general framework of the discussions, the participants concentrated on the role of the OSCE in combating terrorism. It was recognized that working together in the fight against terrorism would be to the benefit of all. The participants also discussed the growing importance of a multi-cultural dialogue, including the ways in which the OSCE partners can contribute to the diversity of this dialogue.

The meeting of the Troika was followed by a working dinner to which the nine OSCE Partners for Co-operation were invited. Those attending on behalf of the partner States were: Japan: Toshiyuki Takano, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Republic of Korea: Young-jin Choi, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations; Thailand: Pracha Guna-Kasem, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Algeria: Abdelaziz Belkhadem, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Egypt: Mohamed Shaban, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Israel: Victor Harel, Deputy Secretary General for Western European Affairs; Jordan: Muhyiedden Touq, Ambassador; Morocco: Mohamed Benaissa, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Tunisia: Habib Ben Yahia, Minister of Foreign Affairs.