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Finland Assumed OSCE Chairmanship

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  • Finland Assumed OSCE Chairmanship

    FINLAND ASSUMED OSCE CHAIRMANSHIP

    PanARMENIAN.Net
    07.01.2008 13:55 GMT+04:00

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 1 January 2008, Finland took over the Chairmanship
    of the OSCE today and described the Organization as a unique forum
    of dialogue between 56 participating States whose strength lies in
    the unanimity required for decision-making.

    "Finland's Chairmanship will focus, above all, on intensifying
    the Organization's operation and on the observance of existing
    commitments," said Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, the new
    OSCE Chairman-in-Office. Minister Kanerva took over from Spanish
    Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose country chaired the
    OSCE in 2007.

    Finland's Chairmanship will be characterized by many uncertainties,
    according to Minister Kanerva. The question of Kosovo, the so-called
    protracted or unresolved conflicts and the fate of the Treaty on
    Conventional Armed Forces in Europe will be prominent during the year.

    The new Chairman-in-Office will outline the Chairmanship's priorities
    in a speech on 10 January in Vienna to the Permanent Council, the
    OSCE's main regular decision-making body. Soon after, he will make
    his first visit to OSCE field operations, to Ukraine and Moldova.

    The OSCE has become known, particularly, for its election observation
    activities, which are executed by the OSCE Office for Democratic
    Institutions and Human Rights headquartered in Warsaw.

    The Chairman-in-Office noted there would be a presidential election
    in Georgia on 5 January, to be followed by several presidential and
    parliamentary elections in participating States ranging from the
    Russian Federation to the United States.

    The OSCE, during the Finnish Chairmanship, can also undertake
    activities assisting participating States to improve the security and
    management of their borders, he said. Finland was ready to contribute
    to such efforts, for example, in Tajikistan.

    "We could think of ways to involve neighboring countries in such
    activities, including Afghanistan, one of our Asian Partners for
    Co-operation," said Minister Kanerva.

    The Chairman-in-Office said he wanted to extend his deepest
    appreciation for the valuable work of OSCE personnel in different
    missions and at the Vienna headquarters, the OSCE communication
    unit reports.
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