Slovenia’s Chairmanship of Forum for Security Co-operation to support ongoing efforts to restore confidence in OSCE area, says State Secretary Logar

VIENNA, 18 April 2018 – Slovenia’s Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation will be characterized by the country’s commitment to the ongoing efforts to restore confidence in the OSCE area, said State Secretary of the country’s Foreign Ministry Andrej Logar at the Forum in Vienna today.

Officially opening Slovenia’s Chairmanship of the Forum in Vienna, Logar said that the current situation in Europe remains tense with many unanswered questions.

“The crisis in and around Ukraine, protracted conflicts in the OSCE area, erosion of arms controls, crisis of confidence- and security-building measures, increased radicalization, proliferation of terrorist activities and the misuse of information are just some of the issues that call for our full attention,” he said. “There is a greater need than ever for an open dialogue among the participating States. Political will and true engagement are crucial.”

He said that Slovenia “truly sees the OSCE as being capable of fostering dialogue, rebuilding trust and promoting stability”. “We know from experience that when empowered by its participating States, the OSCE is able to react swiftly and flexibly to all kinds of threats and challenges,” he added.

Turning to Slovenia’s agenda for the Forum, which it will chair until the end of the summer recess, Logar noted that one of the meetings will reflect on the centenary of the end of the First World War, which is being marked this year. 

“The Great War, as it is also called, affected all OSCE participating States. Some, like my own country, still deal with the issue of unexploded ordnance from this period, with hardly a year passing by without munitions being found along the river Soča, or Isonzo as it is known in neighbouring Italy, where one of the bloodiest battles of that war took place,” said Logar. “I therefore hope that this special commemorative session will not only address the origins of one of the deadliest conflicts Europe has witnessed, but also consider possible lessons for the current security context. Some of the parallels are simply uncanny.”

He said that two joint meetings of the Forum for Security Co-operation and the Permanent Council will focus on the security in the Mediterranean region and on the Structured Dialogue on current and future challenges and risks, which Logar said “can importantly contribute to co-operative security by promoting greater openness in military activities”.

Given Slovenia’s geographical location, Logar said the Forum’s Chairmanship will work to bring more attention to South-Eastern Europe, where almost half of the OSCE’s field presences are located. “We are planning to present several examples of successful regional military co-operation and will also highlight the important contribution of KFOR to stability in the Western Balkans,” he said.

Other meetings will focus on confidence- and security-building measures and arms control, export controls and deactivation of small arms and light weapons, nuclear security and the role of mine action in all phases of the conflict cycle. The Slovenian Chairmanship will also host the seventh Annual Discussion of the Implementation of the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.

Logar said that a recurring theme of the Chairmanship will be the role of women in security processes and that a specific meeting will be held on the Women, peace and security agenda. 

“In Slovenia we believe strongly in the importance of empowering women to contribute fully to conflict prevention, crisis management, conflict resolution and peace-building efforts,” he said. “This is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do, because involving women on an equal footing improves situational awareness and increases operational effectiveness.”   

Wrapping up, he said that the OSCE was originally built for a challenging international environment. “I therefore count on all of you to assist us in using this Forum to go back to basics, to go back to diplomacy,” he concluded.