ASTANA DECLARATION ADOPTED AT OSCE SUMMIT CHARTS WAY FORWARD
PanARMENIAN.Net
December 3, 2010 – 01:34 AMT 21:34 GMT
The first OSCE Summit in 11 years concluded today with Kazakhstan’s
President Nursultan Nazarbayev welcoming the work of Heads of State and
Government from the 56 OSCE participating States, saying their adoption
of the Astana Commemorative Declaration reconfirmed the Organization’s
comprehensive approach to security based on trust and transparency.
“We have reconfirmed our support to the comprehensive approach to
security based on trust and transparency in the politico-military
field, on rational economic and environmental policy and on the
full-fledged observation of human rights, basic freedoms and the
rule of law,” he said. “We intend to raise the level and quality of
security and understanding between our states and peoples.”
Nazarbayev, whose country holds the 2010 OSCE Chairmanship, described
the two-day Summit as “an historic event for the entire OSCE community”
that had been characterized by “the spirit of Astana”. “We realize that
the way to a true Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian community with united
and indivisible security will be long and thorny,” he said, adding
that by implementing the commitments made in Astana, participating
States would prove the vitality of the Organization.
Dalia Grybauskaite, the President of Lithuania, which will hold
2011 OSCE Chairmanship, discussed the overall purpose of the
Organization in her speech at today’s plenary session: “Our goal in
the OSCE is clear – to build a true democratic security community
without dividing lines, where all the commitments are implemented,
the use of force is unthinkable and human rights and fundamental
freedoms are fully respected.” The leaders at the Summit adopted the
“Astana Commemorative Declaration: Towards a Security Community”
that reaffirmed their commitment to OSCE principles.
“While we have made much progress, we also acknowledge that more
must be done to ensure full respect for, and implementation of,
these core principles and commitments that we have undertaken in the
politico-military dimension, the economic and environmental dimension,
and the human dimension, notably in the areas of human rights and
fundamental freedoms,” the declaration said.
“The security of each participating State is inseparably linked to
that of all others. Each participating State has an equal right
to security. We reaffirm the inherent right of each and every
participating State to be free or choose or change its security
arrangements, including treaties of alliance, as they evolve. Each
State also has the right to neutrality. Each participating State
will respect the rights of all others in these regards. They will
not strengthen their security at the expense of the security of
other States.”
“Increased efforts should be made to resolve existing conflicts in
the OSCE area in a peaceful and negotiated manner, within agreed
formats, fully respecting the norms and principles of international
law enshrined in the United Nations Charter, as well as the Helsinki
Final Act. New crises must be prevented.”
“We underscore the need to contribute effectively, based on the
capacity and national interest of each participating State, to
collective international efforts to promote a stable, independent,
prosperous and democratic Afghanistan.” The declaration calls
for an action plan to be developed under the leadership of future
chairmanships. The Astana Summit brought together Heads of State and
Government and other top officials from the 56 OSCE participating
States and 12 Partners for Co-operation, as well as from other
international and regional organizations. The Summit was the OSCE’s
first since the Istanbul Summit in 1999.
From: A. Papazian