OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, under Turkey’s Chair, marks 20 years of Istanbul Summit; Speakers urge revival of co-operative spirit

VIENNA, 29 January 2020 - The 20th Anniversary of the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit was marked at today’s meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) in Vienna, held under Turkey’s FSC Chairmanship. Speakers described the Summit as a “bridge-builder to the 21st century”, which could inspire OSCE participating States to step up a co-operative and constructive approach to addressing security challenges by reminding them of past common efforts to ensure peace, stability and security.

The discussion focused on the Summit’s landmark outcomes and the lessons learnt, with a particular focus on the Summit’s contribution to developing the FSC’s agenda.

“Istanbul with her then two bridges that connected both sides of the Bosphorus represented a unique metaphor as a ‘bridge-builder into the 21st century’”, said Chairperson of the Forum and Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OSCE Ambassador Engin Soysal as he opened today’s meeting. “Today the city has three bridges. Using Istanbul as a metaphor again, I hope today’s discussion will increase the efficiency of our Forum through building another bridge today.”

On 18 and 19 November 1999, Heads of State and governments of the OSCE participating States gathered in Istanbul for the Organization’s sixth summit. Among the outcomes was the European Charter for Security, which aimed at strengthening the OSCE's ability to prevent conflicts as well as its capacity to settle conflicts and rehabilitate post-conflict societies. An adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) and an update to the Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures were also adopted, while efforts to combat the threats posed by small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition were placed on the FSC agenda.

The first speaker to address representatives of participating States was Ambassador Hasan Göğüş, who headed the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s team to prepare the Summit. He also served as the country’s chief negotiator for the Adapted Treaty on CFE between 1997 and 2000.

He said: “Istanbul was the last summit that furthered the FSC’s work and agenda. It is the FSC which will play the role of a bridge today, carrying us from a more unpredictable and unstable security environment to an environment which is full of trust, confidence and security. As stated in the European Charter for Security’s paragraph 34, we should ‘broaden and strengthen our dialogue concerning developments related to all aspects of security within the FSC’s respective area of competence to address in greater depth security concerns of all participating States and to pursue the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive and indivisible security.’”

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger put forward four suggestions on how to rekindle the co-operative spirit of the Istanbul Summit.

“First, we need to revitalize the concept of multilateralism. We should promote ‘meaningful multilateralism’ that brings visible benefit to people through the practice of genuine dialogue. Second, we need to preserve the principles and commitments that form the bedrock of our Organization. Third, we need a common vision for how we can overcome today’s security challenges, and in the longer term, for what a future European security architecture would look like. And fourth, we should maximize the effectiveness of our existing instruments to enhance our political dialogue,” he emphasized.

In terms of enhancing the Forum’s work, the OSCE Secretary General suggested strengthening co-operation between the FSC and the Permanent Council, providing the OSCE field operations with more opportunities to present and discuss at the FSC their work in areas relevant to the Forum’s mandate, and exploring avenues for enhancing the role of the FSC Chairmanship.

Captain Mehmet Cenk of the Turkish General Staff said that the Istanbul Summit showed that the OSCE offers a unique platform to enhance co-operative and comprehensive security, provided the participating States have the necessary political will.

“The outcomes of the Istanbul Summit constitute some of the milestones in the OSCE’s history that ensured our security for a long period of time in the beginning of the 21st century,” he said. “Turkey is determined to broaden and strengthen our dialogue concerning developments related to all aspects of security in the OSCE area.  Taking into account today’s global security threats, there is no national or unilateral solution. Political will supported by dialogue, co-operation, and effective co-ordination of efforts in countering these threats are key elements to our future security,” he added.