Meet the Chairperson-in-Office

Serbia has assumed the OSCE Chairmanship in the second year of a two-year tandem arrangement with Switzerland. How is the partnership with the 2014 Swiss Chairmanship going to be continued in 2015?

We have been very pleased with our co-operation with Switzerland and we will continue to pursue close co-operation, both on the political level and between our respective OSCE delegations in Vienna and task forces in Belgrade and Bern. The Swiss-Serbian consecutive Chairmanship and the Joint Workplan represent a new practice in the OSCE. We see them as a positive example that contributes to the effectiveness of the Organization and the predictability and continuity of its activities.

The crisis in Ukraine has dominated the OSCE agenda in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015. What will be your approach to promoting its resolution?

When we presented our candidature for the OSCE Chairmanship three years ago, we could not anticipate that in 2014, the OSCE area would be facing one of the biggest crises since the end of the Cold War. The situation in eastern Ukraine continues to be highly complex, having a negative impact also on the broader context of European and global security.

In our capacity as Chair, we will continue efforts to strengthen all OSCE executive structures in Ukraine, particularly the Special Monitoring Mission headed by Ambassador Ertuğrul Interview with Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE for 2015 Meet the Chairperson-in-Office ISSUE FOUR 2014 9 Interview Apakan. We will also continue to support the work of the Trilateral Contact Group comprising Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, represented by Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, whose work we highly appreciate. The Contact Group has contributed immeasurably to the de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine. It is essential to implement the agreements signed in Minsk.

We are concerned about the grave humanitarian situation in Ukraine and during our Chairmanship we will work to address the humanitarian challenges posed by the crisis.

We will endeavour to engage actively in working for the de-escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, in an unbiased and balanced manner. Our efforts will also be focused on strengthening the political dialogue to which there is no alternative. Furthermore, we plan to intensify our communication with the Government in Kyiv, as well as the Russian Federation and other OSCE participating States in order to calm the situation. I believe that only our joint efforts will lead to stabilizing the situation in Ukraine.

With your Chairmanship, the lead of the Organization passes to a country of the SouthEastern European region, which has undergone much suffering in the past. Will you work during your Chairmanship to maintain and improve stability and promote reconciliation in the region?

We have designated the improvement of stability and the promotion of reconciliation, particularly in the Western Balkans, as important aspects of our Chairmanship. We worked closely with Switzerland along these lines already in 2014, with the involvement of the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the Western Balkans, Ambassador Gerard Stoudman, who will serve in that capacity next year as well.

The signing of the Declaration on Missing Persons by the Presidents of Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Mostar on 29 August 2014, confirming their common commitment to the search for persons gone missing in armed conflict, is a concrete achievement of the efforts of the Swiss Chairmanship. We plan to work on this and similar issues in 2015 to further build confidence and promote co-operation among the states in our region.

The OSCE mandate for negotiation and implementation of the Sub-regional Arms Control Agreement concluded in 2014 and responsibility was handed over to the parties, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, at the Ministerial Conference in Basel. What is the significance of this? How will the arms control regime continue and will the OSCE play a role?

The signing of amendments to the Sub-regional Arms Control Agreement relating to the termination of the office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Article IV put an end to one of the phases of co-operation between the parties and the OSCE, according to which the Personal Representative assisted the parties in fulfilling their obligations under the Agreement – first in the negotiation process and subsequently during its implementation. The assistance provided to the parties by the successive Personal Representatives – there were six, out of which five were from Italy – was truly valuable and beneficial, for which I take this opportunity to thank them all once again.

The agreement reached in Basel is a confirmation that the parties to the Sub-regional Arms Control Agreement have reached a level of co-operation, trust, transparency and expertise such as to be able to continue the implementation of the Agreement on their own, just as successfully and appropriately as they have been doing so far with OSCE assistance.

Co-operation between the parties and the OSCE will continue. The parties will continue, through 10 SECURITY COMMUNITY periodic reports, to keep the participating States abreast of the activities they undertake to implement the Agreement. Furthermore, they are ready, in co-operation with the OSCE, to offer advice and training to states in other regions, also beyond the OSCE area, interested in benefiting from the experiences they have gained.

Will the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in which you are currently engaged have an effect on your Chairmanship?

The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is a process conducted at the highest level with the facilitation of the EU. It is unrelated to Serbia’s OSCE Chairmanship, which, as a separate process, will be pursued on another track. Following the deadlock after the elections in the Province, Serbia is looking forward to the resumption of the dialogue and the full implementation of the 2013 Brussels Agreement, which will have a bearing on the further course of Serbia's integration with the European family of nations.

We see our 2015 OSCE Chairmanship as a demonstration of the participating States’ confidence in our country’s ability to lead the Organization in difficult and unpredictable circumstances. Our success and our accomplishments, in addition to making an undoubted contribution to strengthening Serbia’s international reputation, will certainly have a positive effect on its further European integration process.

What will you do about the protracted conflicts in the OSCE area? What role do you foresee for Special Representatives of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office?

In accordance with the Joint Workplan of Switzerland and Serbia, Special Representatives of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office have for the first time a two-year mandate, which, in our opinion, gives a new quality to their engagement. Ambassador Radojko Bogojević, OSCE Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for the Transnistrian Settlement Process in the 5 + 2 format, Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Co-Chair of the Geneva talks, as well as Ambassador Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-inOffice on the Conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference, will continue to perform their functions during our Chairmanship. Serbia is satisfied with their work and will extend its full support to their further activities.

In my capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, I will visit all the regions affected by the so-called “protracted conflicts”, in order to encourage all parties involved to engage constructively and to support the Special Representatives and the OSCE presence in these regions.

Addressing the OSCE delegations in Vienna last summer, you said that you planned to visit all of the OSCE field operations in your region, including the one in Kosovo. What in your view is the importance and potential of the field missions and their possibilities for horizontal co-operation?

The promotion of co-operation in the Western Balkans, as already mentioned, is one of the priorities of our Chairmanship. Accordingly, as you said, visits to the OSCE missions in this region will be among my first as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

The work of the OSCE missions contributes significantly to reform processes, democratization, respect for human rights and progress in other areas of OSCE engagement. The successful partnership between Serbia and the OSCE's mission in Belgrade provides a good example of the results which can be achieved. Serbia also supports the work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, which, with its status-neutral approach to the implementation of activities, endeavors to contribute to the improvement of the situation on the ground. Given our positive experience, we support such activities and horizontal co-operation among the OSCE missions, based, of course, ISSUE FOUR 2014 11 Interview on the mandates entrusted to them by the Organization.

Which thematic areas in the three security dimensions of the OSCE do you intend to prioritize in 2015?

In the military-political dimension of security, we will pay special attention to cyber security, the fight against terrorism and the management and reform of the security sector.

In the economic and environmental dimension, as a matter of priority, we will address water management issues, reduction of natural disaster risks and the fight against corruption.

In the human dimension, our focus will be on national institutions for the protection of human rights, e-democracy, protection of national minorities, freedom of assembly and association and countering hate crimes.

With regard to so-called “cross-dimensional” themes, we will devote attention to youth activities. We are considering putting forward an action plan on youth and security in the course of 2015, thus giving young people a stronger voice within the OSCE. Strengthening co-operation with civil society is also one of our top priorities.

 Serbia, as the incoming Chairmanship country, chaired the Mediterranean Contact Group in 2014. Which topics do you consider particularly relevant for the OSCE’s relationship with the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation?

The fight against terrorism was featured as one of the main agenda items at the annual Mediterranean Conference which took place in Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 27 and 28 October. On the basis of the outcomes of that conference, the Serbian Chairmanship drafted a perception paper for the further consideration of this issue within the OSCE. This perception paper and the Declaration on co-operation with the Mediterranean Partners adopted by the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel condemn all forms and manifestations of terrorism and point to the need for fostering a continuous dialogue among the OSCE participating States and Mediterranean partners.

Are you planning special conferences or events during your Chairmanship?

The consecutive Swiss-Serbian Chairmanship affords us the opportunity to continue with some of the activities initiated in 2014. For example, following the 2014 Counter-Terrorism Conference held in Interlaken, we will organize events on this topic in 2015 as well.

I would particularly like to emphasize that we will pay special attention to the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, as well as the end of World War II.

We have planned a number of special events in each of the three OSCE dimensions of security, chosen for their relevance and added value. With regard to the politico-military dimension, we have foreseen a conference on security sector reform, as well as a seminar on the implementation of the Code of Conduct on the Politico-Military Aspects of Security.

The annual meeting of police experts will focus on the fight against organized crime and trafficking in human beings, with special attention to the relationship between organized crime and illegal migration.

As the Ministerial Council in Basel adopted a declaration on the role of the OSCE in the fight against foreign terrorist groups in the context of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2133 (2014), we intend to organize a meeting of experts devoted to this phenomenon. We also plan an anti-drug conference to prevent the spread of drugs among young people. In view of the growing importance of cyber security as an indispensable aspect of security in the modern world, we are also planning to hold an event on this issue.

In the economic and environmental dimension, we have determined the theme of the 23rd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum to be “Water management in the OSCE area: Strengthening security and stability through co-operation”. The topic is of great importance for Serbia, as a country that has recently been affected by massive floods.

We will hold several special meetings in the human dimension, devoted to freedom of assembly and association, the contribution of the OSCE to the protection of national minorities, e-democracy and the role of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. We also plan to hold seminars on national institutions for human rights protection. Furthermore, Belgrade will be the venue of an NGO conference organized as a side-event to the Ministerial Council in December.

In our role as the OSCE Chairmanship country, we will try to deepen co-operation between the OSCE and the Council of Europe, for example by implementing joint projects with Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will chair the Council of Europe next year.

The 40th anniversary of the Organization will be celebrated during your Chairmanship and Serbia has the difficult task of concluding the Helsinki +40 process of charting the Organization’s future direction. How do you see the OSCE’s role for assuring European security in the future?

The 1975 Helsinki Final Act represents the most important foundation of the present international order after the United Nations Charter. We will mark this anniversary in a dignified manner. The event should also be used to reflect seriously upon the OSCE’s future role, despite the current difficult circumstances.

By reaffirming the decisions to pursue the Helsinki +40 process taken at the Ministerial Councils in Dublin in 2012 and Kyiv in 2013, the participating States demonstrated in Basel that the process still remains a relevant platform for considering the future direction of reforms of our Organization, which would, of course, be based on the re-affirmation of its core principles.

At the Basel Ministerial Council, we supported, in partnership with Germany, the decision of the Swiss Chairmanship to establish a Panel of Eminent Persons. The panel is charged with re-thinking the future of European security in the current climate of deep mistrust among the OSCE participating States. Of course, the political complexity of the current circumstances requires, first and foremost, strengthened and sustained efforts by the governments. Still, the panel might make a precious contribution to reviewing Europe’s security architecture and laying down the groundwork for rebuilding confidence and trust.

As the country holding the OSCE Chairmanship, we are contemplating, should consensus be reached among the participating States, to convene in July 2015 a high-level event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, and possibly to discuss the broader context of European security.