Implementation of OSCE commitments tops agenda for Bulgarian Chairmanship in 2004

VIENNA, 15 January 2004 - The OSCE's Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, said on Thursday that implementation of OSCE commitments would top the agenda for Bulgaria's Chairmanship of the 55-nation security organization this year.

Outlining Bulgaria's programme for its Chairmanship, he singled out practical implementation of key strategies agreed by OSCE foreign ministers in Maastricht last month, especially the Strategy to Address Threats to Security and Stability in the 21st Century.

"Significant EU and NATO enlargements are taking place this year," Minister Passy said. "Together they will constitute a landmark move towards improving security and co-operation and strengthening stability in the wider area of the OSCE."

The cohesion of the OSCE would have to be enhanced to meet the new challenges ahead. "All participating States will have to pull together to prove that the OSCE is up to the mark," the Chairman-in-Office added.

Noting that the OSCE would follow up the Ohrid Conference on Balkan Border Security this year, the Chairman-in-Office called for a broader UN-OSCE Conference on border monitoring and security in 2004.

"The range of matters to be discussed in this broader format could include illicit trade in arms and drugs, and trafficking in persons and nuclear and other radioactive materials," he said. "In the opinion of the Chair, a new departure of this kind would be a valuable contribution to security dialogue in the OSCE area."

Education, which is vitally important for developing the capacity of individuals and groups to resolve conflicts peacefully, will be one of the priorities of the Bulgarian Chairmanship.

"Education is a major tool for setting up democratic institutions and securing democratic governance, for respecting human rights and promoting tolerance, for sustainable economic development and raising human resources for successful market economies," the CiO said.

Minister Passy acknowledged that there were limits to what the OSCE could offer in terms of direct assistance for education and training. But he added: "We all know that the OSCE has immense political potential in enhancing awareness and mobilizing resources."

The Chairman-in-Office pledged continued OSCE assistance to Georgia in building democratic institutions and implementing market reforms.

Stressing the importance of the territorial integrity and national unity of Georgia, he added: "The Bulgarian Chairmanship will do its utmost, together with other relevant actors of the international community, to ensure the necessary assistance for Georgia in tackling the present complex situation."

The CiO said he aimed to build on the progress made in 2003 in finding a solution to the Transdniestrian conflict.

"I believe that the joint efforts of the mediators, the Republic of Moldova and the representatives of Transdniestria within the five-sided format should continue in order to facilitate the elaboration of a formula for a constitutional arrangement that would meet the expectations and win the support of the overwhelming majority of Moldovans," he said.

"Only such an arrangement could be viable and lasting. The Chairmanship stands ready to underpin the political settlement with adequate international guarantees."

Foreign Minister Passy said the Bulgarian Chairmanship would take full account of lessons learned in the past and aim at a more comprehensive understanding of the broad spectrum of opinion when articulating policy and taking decisions.

"Due attention will be paid to preserving the ability of the Organization to react flexibly and swiftly to new challenges, not least by identifying acceptable approaches for rapid decision-making."

Bulgaria would bring to the Chairmanship its own experiences of the transition to democracy.

"In spite of the substantial socio-economic dislocations resulting from the transition to the market economy, my country has successfully safeguarded internal peace and mutual confidence between the different ethnic and religious communities and has set up an indigenous democratic model of tolerance," the Chairman-in-Office said.