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DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 7, 2011 Friday
"SECURITY IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST ABSENCE OF THREATS"
Source: Kommersant, October 04, 2011, p. 8
by Lamberto Zannier
OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL SPEAKS ABOUT THE ROLE OF RUSSIA IN THE
ORGANIZATION; Being one of the main players in the OSCE region, Russia
should play one of the key roles in security provision in this region.
The essence of OSCE is confidence. It is through strengthening of
confidence and achievement of reconciliation among the member states
that we can achieve success. At the OSCE summit on the supreme level
in Astana last year 56 member states confirmed adherence to the idea
of "free, democratic, common and indivisible Euro-Atlantic and
Eurasian security communities." OSCE tries to implement this idea into
life. Being one of the main players in the OSCE region, Russia should
pay one of the key roles in this process.
Strengthening of security in the OSCE region is provided by the
regimes of control over conventional arms that have no historic
precedents and by measures for strengthening of confidence and
security. Participants of the summit in Astana last year confirmed
importance of surmounting of the dead end situation related to the
Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE). The Vienna document of
1999 that obliges the member states to exchange information about
armed forces and military activity is another key instrument for
increasing of confidence in OSCE. Russia observes its provisions in
practice and participates in updating of the document to make it
reflect modern realities better.
Building of confidence as the basis for reconciliation is a mandatory
condition for progress in resolving of drawn-out conflicts in the OSCE
region. The long-awaited resolution on restarting of negotiations on
the Trans-Dniester regulation in "5+2" format adopted in Moscow on
September 22 has to add powerful momentum to this process. The
non-decreasing attention of Russia played a constructive role in
adoption of this resolution. Assistance to resolving of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict simultaneously with prevention of further
escalation of tension locally is another priority line of work with
regard to which positions of Russia and other key OSCE members
coincide. Active participation of Russia in the activity of the Minsk
OSCE group and personal involvement of the President of Russia into
assistance to negotiations on the supreme level between Azerbaijan and
Armenia are important elements for search for the solution.
Active and constructive participation of Russia is also required by
the Geneva discussions started after the conflict in Georgia in August
of 2008. These negotiations already yielded certain results: a set of
water projects has been coordinated in the framework of the mechanism
for prevention of incidents and reaction to them created in the course
of discussions and OSCE is currently taking them with financial
support of the EU. These projects have not only to meet the needs of
the population on both sides of the administrative dividing line for
drinking and irrigation water, they already contribute to
strengthening of confidence between the parties.
No matter how important is the military political dimension of the
OSCE activity, security is much more than simply absence of direct or
indirect military threats. Security is actually assurance of tomorrow
in all areas of life. Economic rights, observance of human rights,
political pluralism, a possibility to elect and be elected in the
course of free and transparent electoral process guaranteed by the
law, an unprejudiced judicial system, all these factors are vitally
important for strengthening of confidence of people in the authorities
and for functioning ohef a really democratic society. Russia undertook
to fully observe the relevant obligations undertaken in the framework
of OSCE. Russia and other member stated confirmed their adherence to
these obligations less than a year ago in Astana.
October 7, 2011 Friday
"SECURITY IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST ABSENCE OF THREATS"
Source: Kommersant, October 04, 2011, p. 8
by Lamberto Zannier
OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL SPEAKS ABOUT THE ROLE OF RUSSIA IN THE
ORGANIZATION; Being one of the main players in the OSCE region, Russia
should play one of the key roles in security provision in this region.
The essence of OSCE is confidence. It is through strengthening of
confidence and achievement of reconciliation among the member states
that we can achieve success. At the OSCE summit on the supreme level
in Astana last year 56 member states confirmed adherence to the idea
of "free, democratic, common and indivisible Euro-Atlantic and
Eurasian security communities." OSCE tries to implement this idea into
life. Being one of the main players in the OSCE region, Russia should
pay one of the key roles in this process.
Strengthening of security in the OSCE region is provided by the
regimes of control over conventional arms that have no historic
precedents and by measures for strengthening of confidence and
security. Participants of the summit in Astana last year confirmed
importance of surmounting of the dead end situation related to the
Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE). The Vienna document of
1999 that obliges the member states to exchange information about
armed forces and military activity is another key instrument for
increasing of confidence in OSCE. Russia observes its provisions in
practice and participates in updating of the document to make it
reflect modern realities better.
Building of confidence as the basis for reconciliation is a mandatory
condition for progress in resolving of drawn-out conflicts in the OSCE
region. The long-awaited resolution on restarting of negotiations on
the Trans-Dniester regulation in "5+2" format adopted in Moscow on
September 22 has to add powerful momentum to this process. The
non-decreasing attention of Russia played a constructive role in
adoption of this resolution. Assistance to resolving of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict simultaneously with prevention of further
escalation of tension locally is another priority line of work with
regard to which positions of Russia and other key OSCE members
coincide. Active participation of Russia in the activity of the Minsk
OSCE group and personal involvement of the President of Russia into
assistance to negotiations on the supreme level between Azerbaijan and
Armenia are important elements for search for the solution.
Active and constructive participation of Russia is also required by
the Geneva discussions started after the conflict in Georgia in August
of 2008. These negotiations already yielded certain results: a set of
water projects has been coordinated in the framework of the mechanism
for prevention of incidents and reaction to them created in the course
of discussions and OSCE is currently taking them with financial
support of the EU. These projects have not only to meet the needs of
the population on both sides of the administrative dividing line for
drinking and irrigation water, they already contribute to
strengthening of confidence between the parties.
No matter how important is the military political dimension of the
OSCE activity, security is much more than simply absence of direct or
indirect military threats. Security is actually assurance of tomorrow
in all areas of life. Economic rights, observance of human rights,
political pluralism, a possibility to elect and be elected in the
course of free and transparent electoral process guaranteed by the
law, an unprejudiced judicial system, all these factors are vitally
important for strengthening of confidence of people in the authorities
and for functioning ohef a really democratic society. Russia undertook
to fully observe the relevant obligations undertaken in the framework
of OSCE. Russia and other member stated confirmed their adherence to
these obligations less than a year ago in Astana.