Op-ed by OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger with kommersant

Credits to 'kommersant' for the article: www.kommersant.ru

Restoring trust in European security is possible, requires efforts by all 

I have taken up the positon of Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) at a time when we are living in an increasingly complicated and unpredictable security environment. The common security framework that safeguards stability in our region is being called into question. A host of new and interconnected problems such as violent extremism, cybercrime and large movements of people fleeing war and economic misery are clouding our horizon. Tensions are rising. Never has the necessity of an inclusive regional security organization like the OSCE been more apparent, to prevent crises from turning into conflicts and to confront transnational challenges. More than ever, the Helsinki principles and OSCE commitments must be respected as a basis for ensuring peace and security in the OSCE area and rebuilding trust and confidence.

I have made it my mission to reinvigorate the OSCE as the relevant forum for security dialogue in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian space, based on a unifying agenda and striving for tangible common action. But the capacity of the OSCE for real dialogue and results-oriented action is being hampered by the steady erosion of trust that participating States have been deploring already for years. 

Trust is the glue that holds international relations together. As elusive as it is essential, trust is laborious to maintain and quick to dissolve. If the OSCE is to be an effective force for stability and peace, its participating States must reestablish an atmosphere of mutual understanding and co-operation. Rekindling trust is possible, but it requires sincere efforts by all. Failure to act can have serious consequences. Every participating State needs to pull its weight.

I would like to see the OSCE as a dynamic organization, one where the Permanent Council is not used by participating States to exchange recriminations but as a space to make real progress on reconciling differences and optimizing co-operation.

Especially at this difficult time, we should not lose sight of the OSCE’s achievements and potential. The Organization has repeatedly proven itself to be flexible and responsive in addressing security challenges before they escalate. The participating States were able to reach consensus on putting a monitoring mission on the ground in Ukraine and repeatedly renewed its mandate. They are united in their stand against violent extremism that can lead to terrorism, and the OSCE does valuable preventive work in this area. The fight against human trafficking, the defence of media freedom, and the promotion of free and fair elections are just a few areas where the OSCE is in the forefront, working together with other international and regional organizations to improve the lives of people in our region.

Our larger vision for the OSCE as the guardian of European security can only materialize if we work together to achieve incremental progress. There is a general recognition that the negative developments concerning the European conventional arms control regime must be addressed. That will not happen overnight, but meanwhile we can make a concerted effort to revise some of the OSCE’s confidence- and security-building measures to improve military security.

The OSCE has made real progress in the area of cyber/ICT security. The participating States have agreed on pioneering and practical cyber/ICT confidence-building measures that reduce the risk of conflict stemming from the use of ICTs in the OSCE region. This year, they agreed to further operationalize them by using the OSCE communications network for the exchange of key information in the event of a cyber/ICT incident. Now they need to engage constructively to work out the details to make that happen.

Another encouraging step has been the establishment of the so-called “Structured Dialogue”, an informal open discussion platform on confidence-building, risk reduction and arms control that considers the security needs of all OSCE participating States. It addresses pressing security issues, such as close military encounters, and develops proposals for strengthening and adapting current arms control regimes.

My hope is that the Structured Dialogue will lead to a tangible result in the politico-military dimension. At the same time, we should find constructive ways to improve security in all three dimensions – the politico-military, the economic and environmental and the human – in accordance with the OSCE’s fundamental commitment to the comprehensive approach.

I had the opportunity to discuss these matters with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September and am pleased to be in Moscow at his invitation to continue our discussion.

As Secretary General I will do my best to play a unifying role in the OSCE and to encourage the restoring of real dialogue. The OSCE is so much more than a platform for public diplomacy. I encourage all participating States to make the most of this Organization, one of the most forward-looking political platforms in the world, to make the OSCE region a place of security and co-operation, prosperity and peace. Even small steps help to build trust; even small steps require efforts by all.