Rebuilding security in Europe is only possible through a co-ordinated approach, says OSCE Secretary General

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier attended the 5th Moscow Conference on International Security, which focused on combating terrorism, from 27 to 28 April.  

On the margins of the event, Zannier held bilateral meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov and other senior Russian officials to discuss current issues on the OSCE agenda. 

Zannier addressed the question of whether a new security system is needed in Europe in a conference panel discussion. "Rather than building new security formats, what we need to do is revitalize existing structures in light of contemporary challenges," he said.

He stressed the importance of replacing the current culture of confrontation with one of co-operation and joint action so that European security remains a common project. "We need to look for ways to reduce tensions and to prevent crises - or even inadvertent incidents - from turning into conflict."

Zannier emphasized the need for global solutions to address terrorism and other contemporary threats and challenges stemming from regional conflicts, climate change, transnational organized crime, and massive migration flows. "We face common security challenges, so we must build broad and strategic partnerships to confront them effectively, not only between countries and regions, but also engaging civil society, young people, the media and academia,” he said.