OSCE Ministerial Council adopts statement on regional issues

BUCHAREST, 4 December 2001 - Security and stability in Central Asia, the situation regarding Nagorno-Karabakh and this year's developments in Georgia, Moldova and south-eastern Europe are in the focus of a statement adopted today by the 55 OSCE participating States at the end of a two-day Ministerial Council meeting in Bucharest.

"Threats to stability and security emanating from international terrorism, violent extremism, organized crime, [and] drugs and arms trafficking are shared concerns among the OSCE participating States", the OSCE Foreign Ministers and heads of delegations stated. "We recognize the specific problems in this context for the Central Asian participating States as neighbouring countries to Afghanistan and hope that the forthcoming Bishkek International Conference on Enhancing Security and Stability in Central Asia will make a valuable contribution to addressing these problems".

The Conference is due to take place on 13 and 14 December in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital.

In their statement, the OSCE officials also expressed their deep concern at the failure to achieve a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict despite the intensified dialogue between the parties and active support of the OSCE's Minsk Group Co-Chairs. "We reiterate the importance of continuing the peace dialogue and call upon the sides to continue their efforts to achieve an early resolution of the conflict based on norms and principles of international law", the officials stated. "We also encourage the parties to explore further measures that would enhance mutual confidence and trust, including the release of POWs (prisoners of war). We encourage the parties to continue their efforts, with the active support of the Co-Chairs, aimed at reaching a just and enduring settlement."

With regard to recent developments in Georgia, the OSCE officials welcomed the progress in the past months of the peace process in the Tshkinvali region (South Ossetia). At the same time, they called for a resumption of the dialogue on finding a comprehensive settlement on the political status of the breakaway republic of Abkhazia. "We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Abkhazia, and are convinced of the need to create the conditions for the safe and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes", they stated.

The OSCE officials welcomed the aspiration to good-neighbourly relations and the development of co-operation manifested at the meeting between Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the Georgian President, Eduard Shevardnadze, on 30 November and the agreement to establish a joint commission to investigate the reported cases of bombardments in the border areas of the Georgian territory.

They also acknowledged the significant contribution by the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation to stability and confidence in the region, and directed the Organization's Permanent Council in Vienna to examine proposals to extend the Operation to the Georgian border with the Ingush Republic of the Russian Federation.

Turning to Moldova, the OSCE representatives noted the efforts undertaken by the Republic of Moldova and the mediators from the OSCE, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, towards the negotiation of a comprehensive political settlement of the Transdniestrian issue, and called upon both sides to resume promptly the negotiations on the status of the Transdniestrian region.

The officials welcomed the fulfilment by the Russian Federation of the commitments undertaken at the OSCE Istanbul Summit in 1999 on withdrawal and disposal of equipment limited by the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe [CFE Treaty] by the end of 2001, ahead of the agreed time, and noted, among other issues, the progress achieved in 2001 in beginning withdrawal from the Transdniestrian region of Moldova of the Russian military equipment not limited by the CFE Treaty.

With regard to south-eastern Europe, the officials reaffirmed that peace, prosperity and stability in south-eastern Europe remained one of the strategic priorities for the OSCE, and welcomed the results of the Regional Conference of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, held on 25 and 26 October in Bucharest. "It sent a strong political signal that the countries of the region will continue their efforts toward reforms and regional co-operation and that the International Community will maintain its strong support for sustainable stabilization, democratisation, institution building and economic reconstruction in south-eastern Europe", they stated.

The officials stressed that they expected full compliance by the countries of the region with international obligations, in particular the Dayton/Paris Peace Accords, as well as full co-operation by all with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). "All those indicted by the Tribunal must be turned over to ICTY authorities to stand trial", they stressed in their statement.

In their statement, the Foreign Ministers and heads of delegations also focused on the situation of refugees and displaced persons in south-eastern Europe. "We look forward to additional steps being taken [by the countries of the region] to facilitate sustainable solutions to the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons, including the full exercise of their rights to return home and to repossess their properties throughout the region", they stated.