Co-operation crucial for security, French Minister of State for European Affairs tells OSCE

VIENNA, 20 May 2010 - The OSCE remains an important tool for security, particularly considering the increased globalization of modern threats, the French Minister of State for European Affairs, Pierre Lellouche, told the OSCE Permanent Council today.

Lellouche said political co-operation on the European level developed from and together with the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the forerunner to the OSCE. "The EU's foreign policy today recognizes how important the OSCE is to further its objectives. This is precisely why France and Germany are considering the possibility of a joint OSCE Chairmanship," he added.

European history was influenced by a movement toward democracy and unity, Lellouche said, mentioning the reconciliation with Germany and reconstruction of Europe after World War II, the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe as important milestones.

"Through these steps, our security is not only ensured by each state's defence policy or through alliances and organizations in our common space," he said. "It is also guaranteed by a framework of co-operation in the whole Euro-Atlantic and Euro-Asian region that includes not only politico-military but also human and economic aspects as well as respect for legitimate interests and concerns, for the free choice of alliances for all and a commitment to the indivisibility of security in Europe."

Lellouche commended the Corfu Process - the OSCE-anchored dialogue on the future of European security - and said that France supported the initiative by the Kazakh OSCE Chairmanship to hold an OSCE summit at the end of the year. A consensus decision by the 56 participating States is required for a summit to be held.

"We will be able to move forward only if we have the goal of launching a new phase in the history of our countries, leading towards renewed, common Euro-Atlantic and Euro-Asian security in the 21st century," he said. "This community should build on the achievements of the commitments and principles that unite us, particularly those of the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter. It is clear that the page of the Cold War needs to be turned forever."

Discussing security in Georgia, Lellouche reaffirmed France's support to territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and supported the Geneva discussions. He said it was essential that the OSCE open a field operation in the country. Due to a lack of consensus to renew its mandate, the OSCE Mission to Georgia closed in June 2009.

He also said that France, which co-chairs the Minsk Group, supported Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders' efforts to take steps to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and emphasized that political negotiations were the only means to achieve a solution.

"The recent crisis in Kyrgyzstan reminded us that the OSCE is able to react promptly and effectively to crises. Although the work of its institutions and field operations is often discreet, it has a real impact on consolidating our common space," he said.

The Permanent Council is one of the OSCE's main decision-making bodies. It meets weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make appropriate decisions.