“OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the German Federal Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier has convened the Informal Meeting of Foreign Ministers of all OSCE Participating States in Potsdam. A total of 40 Ministers is taking part, while HR/VP Federica Mogherini is present on behalf of the EU.
Several important topics related to the ongoing conflicts are being discussed here. These imply not only armed conflicts between states, but also the issues of radicalization, extremism, terrorism, migration concerns, armament issues, as well as problems addressed within the OSCE’s third dimension, namely human rights.
This Meeting serves as a preparation for the Ministerial Council to take place in Hamburg in December, following the last year’s Council held in Belgrade.
The Meeting will adopt no conclusions, but hold an open debate with all participants presenting their views. We will discuss the participating States’ perception of the Organization’s future, whether the Helsinki principles of 41 years ago are still relevant, or whether we are dealing with some kind of a new situation.
I presented the position of the Republic of Serbia that all problems should be resolved through dialogue, fully respecting the rights of all the Participating States, but also that, on the other hand, many problems that were present in the past are still in the foreground.
We would like to see the sense of mutual trust and confidence restored, considering that at the time the OSCE came into existence, the level of trust worldwide was not too high, which is also the case today”, said Minister Dacic.