Common security challenges across Mediterranean require stronger co-operation mechanisms, say participants at 2015 OSCE Mediterranean conference

SWEIMEH, Jordan, 20 October 2015 – Challenges affecting the Mediterranean region require co-operative solutions as they cannot be effectively tackled by any single country alone, assess participants at the 2015 Annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference in Jordan.

“The Mediterranean does not divide us, it unites us,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Nasser Judeh. He added that when it comes to growing threats from radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism, Jordan is on the frontline since those threats do not respect national borders. “Efforts to counter terrorism and to address the humanitarian tragedy we face need to go in tandem with prospects for a better future.”

This year, which marks the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act and its Mediterranean Chapter recognizing that “security in Europe is closely linked with security in the Mediterranean area as a whole,” Germany chairs the OSCE Mediterranean Partnership. Looking at current conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa and their far-reaching effects on Europe, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier advocated joint action. In his opening speech he pointed to the relevance of the OSCE in this context: “In our European experience, there is not a blueprint, but perhaps a stock of principles and processes which may also offer a glimmer of hope for political solutions in the Middle East.”

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Roksanda Ninčić said: “Our regions are experiencing renewed and heightened tensions, with terrorist groups waging a frontal attack on our shared values. Ankara, Copenhagen, Paris, and Sousse are just some of the many places that have been the scene of despicable acts of terrorism this year. The growing number of foreign terrorist fighters travelling from OSCE participating States to Syria and Iraq has added a new dimension to this challenge and represents a very dangerous trend.”

“We all face similar challenges and need to step up our engagement in the context of the OSCE Mediterranean co-operation,” said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier. “The current situation requires co-operation and joint action. It is crucial to discuss how we can make better use of the OSCE Mediterranean Partnership as a forum for dialogue, decreasing tensions, correcting misperceptions, and promoting co-operation throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region. As we see increasing culture and human bonds between societies, we must not underestimate the threat of intolerance and radicalization, which attempt to exploit what still divides us.”

The conference on “Common Security in the Mediterranean Region” has gathered some 15 foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers, representatives of the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia), OSCE participating States, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, Director General of the International Organization for Migration William Lacy Swing, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean Fathallah Sijilmassi as well as civil society, academic and media representatives.

The conference highlights critically important issues such as countering radicalization and violent extremism, promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue, as well as addressing number of challenges related to migration.

More information on the Conference can be found here.