Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria
Dec 6 2004
Opening Address to the OSCE Forum Participants
“The scourge of terrorism is emerging as a most dangerous threat for
all of us,” Minister Passy said in his OSCE meeting opening speech.
Photo by Bulgarian Foreign Ministry
For the Record: 6 December 2004, Monday.
S T A T E M E N T
by Mr. Solomon Passy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Bulgaria and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE
Time of Change: Towards a transformed OSCE for the 21st century
12th Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the OSCE
Sofia, 6 December 2004
Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
As I look back in time, I recall with emotion that 15 years ago – in
1989, a CSCE Meeting on the Protection of the Environment was held in
this same building. The event focused world attention on the
totalitarian regime’s record of repressing environmental activists.
It stimulated open demonstrations by human rights advocates and the
Bulgarian Ecoglasnost environmental group, to which I then belonged.
That was a clear manifestation of the influence of the Helsinki
process on the democratic emancipation of my generation. And this
CSCE meeting in Sofia was the strongest catalyst of the democratic
processes in Bulgaria. A week later the communist regime collapsed.
In October 1989 many of my friends were outside this building. Today
they are here in this hall assisting the Bulgarian Chairmanship to
fulfil its duties. And I see the finger of destiny in that metaphor.
Today I am proud that my country is chairing the OSCE and we are
discussing in the same venue the future and way ahead for this great
Organization.
For thirty years the CSCE and OSCE have worked hard to overcome
divisions that have separated people in Europe. United by shared
values, today we have come to the conviction that security
increasingly transcends national borders. Present-day geopolitical
realities, related to NATO and EU enlargements, along with the
dialogue and co-operation between the countries to the East and West
of the Black Sea, stress the importance of the OSCE as a bridge of
mutual confidence.
The OSCE has a rich history, innovative missions and institutions, an
inclusive membership and a dedicated staff. However, if it is to have
an impact on the lives of citizens from Vancouver to Vladivostock, it
has to stand firmly by its principles and ensure that its
institutions and review mechanisms provide implementation of OSCE
commitments. Guided by this vision, the Bulgarian Chairmanship has
focused on implementation as a main priority this year.
We have also kept continuity with the priorities and work of previous
Chairmanships. I was privileged to have the invaluable support of
Minister Scheffer and Minister Bot in the OSCE Troika and to draw on
their rich experience.
Dear colleagues,
The scourge of terrorism is emerging as a most dangerous threat for
all of us. Terrorist attacks, most recently in Madrid and Beslan
resulted in numerous innocent victims, including children. This evil
needs our joint and firm response. During 2004 we have held numerous
result-oriented events and adopted concrete measures aimed at
countering international terrorism.
This year the OSCE has increased its efforts to achieve a better
balance between the politico-military, the economic and human
dimensions.
In the politico-military dimension, substantial efforts were made on
the OSCE Border Security and Management Concept. The follow up to the
Ohrid Border Conference resulted in a series of workshops for
training border officials from South Eastern Europe. Another
important input was provided by the Border Conference jointly
organized with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which
focused on strengthening the co-ordination between relevant
international organizations in their activities related to border
issues, training and assistance.
It is our conviction that we have to bring the OSCE activities in
these areas much closer to those participating States that need them
most.
The Bulgarian Chairmanship made an effort to bring the OSCE economic
and environmental activities in conformity with the commitments
agreed to in the Maastricht Strategy Document for the Economic and
Environmental Dimension. The Organization provided and mobilized
advice and expertise to develop incentives for small and medium-sized
enterprises, foreign and domestic investment and to improve legal
frameworks. Special attention was paid to facilitating dialogue
between governmental agencies and the business community and to
private and public partnership initiatives. The issues of good
governance, fight against corruption and money laundering stayed high
on the agenda.
The human dimension remained crucial in our work this year, and is
the backbone of the OSCE. Human rights commitments should be strictly
adhered to. One of the priorities of the Bulgarian Chairmanship has
been education, particularly in the context of human rights and
conflict prevention. It is encouraging that many participating States
responded positively to my appeal to support financially the OSCE
Academy in Bishkek and an amount of more than 400 000 Euro has
already been raised.
The three high-profile OSCE events in Berlin, Paris and Brussels this
year on tolerance and non-discrimination reminded us of the danger of
being complacent about racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism,
discrimination against Muslims and other forms of intolerance. We
need to do more to prevent these phenomena from causing divisions
within our societies. I look forward to appointing three Personal
Representatives in this field.
2004 was a busy year for election monitoring. The Organization has
been involved in observing elections throughout its area – in North
America, Europe and Central Asia, which is indicative of the
geographical scope of these activities.
The most recent elections in Ukraine, and the events that followed,
were a clear manifestation of people power and show the maturity of
democracy in this important European country. The victors in Ukraine
should be democracy and the rule of law. I am glad that a “made in
Ukraine” solution to this crisis is emerging and that the OSCE played
a key role in election monitoring and as a facilitator. I hope that
by the end of this Ministerial meeting the response of the OSCE in
supporting the re-running of the second round of the presidential
elections will be clear and generous.
During this year we continued the efforts to finding lasting and
viable political solutions to the existing conflicts in the OSCE
zone.
The Organization rendered essential support for the conduct of the
presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia. I am glad that
the tensions in and around Ajara were resolved peacefully, with the
involvement of our Organization. We welcome the progress recently
achieved in the dialogue on a peaceful comprehensive resolution of
the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. The measures now in hand to secure
the demilitarization of the zone of conflict need to be implemented
as rapidly as possible and the focus has to shift to genuine
political negotiations.
The OSCE follows closely the developments related to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. The Chairmanship actively supported the efforts of
the Co-Chairs of the Minsk group in seeking reinvigoration of the
dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We note with satisfaction
the meetings conducted during this year between the Presidents and
the Foreign Ministers of the two countries and hope that the process
will be moved forward.
The involvement of the Bulgarian Chairmanship in active search for
solutions to the conflicts in the South Caucasus was reconfirmed by
the designation of two prominent Bulgarian statesmen – former
President Zhelju Zhelev and former Prime Minister Philip Dimitrov, as
CiO’s envoys respectively for Georgia and Nagorno Karabakh.
The Bulgarian Chairmanship looked actively for solutions in the
Transdniestrian conflict. The Chairman-in-Office asked former
Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov to act as his envoy for Moldova.
President Stoyanov’s visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol in September
demonstrated the Chairmanship’s commitment to seeking an overall
settlement of the dispute. However, despite the continuing efforts of
the mediators and some positive developments during the first half of
the year, there was lack of progress towards comprehensive political
settlement. The Chairmanship calls upon the parties to the conflict
to establish and strengthen a working dialogue that can lead more
effectively towards a lasting solution. Additional efforts are still
needed to find a formula for a comprehensive settlement on the basis
of strengthening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
Republic of Moldova while providing a special status for
Transdniestria.
In 2004 the Western Balkans continued to face complex challenges such
as the break out of violence in Kosovo in March. The parliamentary
and presidential elections in Serbia and the Macedonian referendum on
decentralization were key events in shaping the future development of
these countries. Due to the continuous persistent efforts exerted by
the OSCE, developments in the region have been forward-leaning.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has made progress in achieving interethnic
tolerance, in strengthening state institutions and in resolving the
problems with returnees and their property. We are pleased to note
Albania’s commitment to finalize the overall implementation of the
electoral reform in order to organize free and democratic elections
in 2005. Croatia’s performance in fulfilling OSCE commitments also
deserves our esteem.
In Central Asia the Bulgarian Chairmanship facilitated more
co-operation among the participating States, both from in- and
outside the region, and the specialized international organizations.
All of us in the OSCE welcomed the moratorium on the death penalty
introduced by the Parliament of Tajikistan following a proposal by
the Tajik President.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This has been a challenging year for the Bulgarian Chairmanship. As I
reflect on my time as Chairman-in-Office, I would like to share with
you three convictions:
First, solidarity is more needed than ever. That means no dividing
lines. We should not lose sight of the vision of our predecessors who
agreed three decades ago to improve and intensify relations among
European States and to strive for peace, justice, security,
co-operation and rapprochement. This is the imperative of global and
regional security and, most of all, serves the interests of the
people and their respective countries.
This leads me to my second conviction: the OSCE should reach out.
The OSCE’s experience, capacities and good practices in preventing
inter-ethnic conflicts, election monitoring, confidence-building,
arms control and facilitating dialogue could be applied in other
parts of the world. In this regard I would like to emphasize that by
sending an Election Support Team to Afghanistan for the presidential
elections in October – the first out-of-area operation of the OSCE,
our Organization demonstrated its capacity to go beyond its original
horizons. Mongolia has just become a new Partner for Co-operation. In
my view the Mediterranean dimension deserves particular attention and
I believe that the OSCE example could have a positive impact on the
troubled Middle East. The successful Mediterranean Seminar organized
in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt has highlighted the importance of
fostering co-operation and interaction in this region.
My third conviction is that the OSCE should be of more relevance and
practical benefit to the man in the street and, to that end, try to
overcome tendencies towards bureaucratization. Although the Permanent
Representatives in Vienna are doing an excellent job, this phenomenon
persists, due to insufficient efforts by the respective capitals to
make ordinary people feel that the OSCE has a tangible bearing on
their lives. It is our responsibility – as Ministers – to play a
greater leadership role, to take more initiatives, and to bring
knowledge about the OSCE closer to constituencies.
I am confident that people in Bulgaria and around the world deserve
to know more about the OSCE and its work. 2005 will be an excellent
opportunity to raise our public profile by celebrating the thirtieth
anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act and the fifteenth anniversary
of the Charter of Paris.
These three convictions – solidarity, outreach, and relevance – lead
me to the expectation that we will be able to transform this
organization. The OSCE needs to adapt, evolve and further improve its
efficiency. This year witnessed a far-reaching debate on transforming
the OSCE to ensure that it is even better suited to deal with these
present-day challenges. I am confident that the decision on
establishment of a panel of eminent persons on strengthening the
effectiveness of the OSCE will provide additional momentum to this
process and will contribute to improving the overall capacity of the
Organization. The OSCE should be more accessible to its constituents,
and seek to engage parliamentarians more actively in its work.
Dear Colleagues,
On the issue of reform I have tried to test the boundaries this year,
and to challenge some taboos in the OSCE in order to shake things up
for the better. I welcome the fact that others have contributed a
number of thought-provoking views on reform. The future of this
organization is in our hands: it will be as relevant and as effective
as we make it.
I would like to particularly thank the Heads of OSCE Institutions,
the Heads of Field Missions and the OSCE Secretariat for their
relentless and dedicated efforts throughout 2004. Let us build on
this Sofia meeting and work even harder for peace and security. And
let us challenge ourselves and each other to come up with bold
initiatives and a vision for the political space from Vancouver to
Vladivostock.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I wish you a fruitful and successful Ministerial Council Meeting.
Thank you.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress