Statement by the President at the OSCE Summit

Astana, 2.12.2010  |  speech

Statement by Dr. Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia, at the Summit of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Astana, 2 December 2010


Thank you very much,
Mme. Chairman,

It is a great pleasure to address this important Summit and it is exciting to be involved in this event, which has been described as a historic event, particularly because it has the task of testing ideas, setting priorities, defining an orientation for the Organisation at the highest political level. Slovenia, Mme. President, has been a firm supporter of Kazakhstan initiative throughout the past year and we would like to use this opportunity today to congratulate Kazakhstan and in particular President Nazarbayev for the job done and for the hospitality we enjoy.

I believe, Mme. President, that as participants of this important meeting we should provide the answer to the following question: what kind of organisation is the OSCE today and what exactly we expect from it in the future? After all, the world has changed dramatically in the 35 years that have passed since Helsinki. No longer burdened by the ideological divisions and animosities, we now face a host of global threats arising from poverty, economic crisis, deteriorating environment, as well as threats such as terrorism, various forms of organised crime, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the like. Military deterrence, while still necessary, has long ceased to be the sole guarantor of safety and it is obvious that various variables that ensure today's stability are inextricably linked.

In light of these developments it is important that the three dimensions of the OSCE should remain closely linked. The comprehensive concept of security carries one very clear message: an increased attention on "hard" security goes hand in hand with what is often somewhat misleadingly referred to as "soft" security. The role of OSCE/ODIHR in election observation is therefore important and should remain so. Protection of national minorities, as expressed inter alia in the Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations, needs to be given full attention.

Contemporary European, Eurasian and Euro-Atlantic security is highly interdependent. It is, therefore, important to acknowledge that one of the defining characteristics of the OSCE area remains the diversity of political cultures. These are different from one country to another and from one region to another. Therefore not only persistence, but also patience in the realisation of political recommendations and commitments is of utmost importance. We have to learn to be patient and tolerant to one another. We need to improve the level of confidence among ourselves.

Mutual respect is crucial for deepening the trust among us. And we need to trust each other in order to find solutions to the specific crisis situations and to broader security challenges. Specific crisis situations known sometimes as "frozen conflicts" have persisted for far too long. The process of solving those conflicts needs to be expedited. And I would like to emphasise: a solution needs to be found for the oldest among them, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has been on our agenda for already two decades. Let us not lose hope and goodwill. The efforts within the OSCE Minsk Group have already produced a broad framework for the solution. Now the parties to the conflict need to be encouraged to build confidence, to take initially small steps and then move to the larger ones, the larger elements within a meaningful timeframe. The path to solutions does exist. It needs to be taken.

The strengthening of trust is not only a key factor in ensuring better cooperation between different countries, but also between different organisations. NATO is one of them and just two weeks ago it held an important Summit of its own in Lisbon, where it adopted a new strategic concept. In it, the Alliance clearly stated that it is prepared to develop partnership relations with other organisations. The OSCE should take advantage of this development, with a view to creating synergies in the successful settlement of various conflicts.

NATO also decided to take an important step of strengthening its relations with Russian Federation. This too should serve as an inspiration to our Organisation. In this connection, I would like to recall that significant contribution to comprehensive review of the security issues in the area between Vancouver and Vladivostok was made this time last year by President of the Russian Federation. His proposal for a European Security Treaty represents an innovative and farsighted contribution to the effort to create a legal framework for a pan-European security system and should therefore also contribute substantially to the maintenance of global peace and security. It should be therefore approached not only with an open mind. This proposal should be approached with creativity and vision of a much more integrated and much safer world.

In this context, let us ask ourselves what is expected from our Summit, Summit in Astana? Its main mission is to provide a new impulse to develop and transform the Organisation. What we need are new ambitious ideas and plans about what needs to be done in the OSCE area. The outcome of this Summit needs to reflect this positive change of mood. I would therefore strongly encourage all participating states and negotiators who work as we speak to reach consensus on a forward-looking Summit document, particularly on a full-fledged action plan, which will enable our Organisation to address current challenges to security in an efficient way.

Before concluding, let me take this opportunity to once again commend our Kazakh host in their role as this year's OSCE Chairmanship. They showed a deep understanding that a Chairmanship is not only beholden to the advancement of its priorities but also to ensuring continuity and follow-up in the work of the organisation as a whole. In this way they were able to combine their four-T agenda of "trust, tradition, transparency and tolerance" with the three-R agenda of "revitalise, reform and rebalance", which, among other, Slovenia as President in 2005 strongly supported.

Finally, let me say that the Helsinki Final Act, which was signed in 1975, is a living document. Although it was created in a state-centred environment, it managed to introduce human-centred elements into our understanding of security. The principles it espouses are thus not in any way part of some bygone era. They are foundations on which we stand today and therefore they are sound and this means that they can be strengthened, when necessary, and upgraded, where and whenever necessary, they have to be refined, so that they can withstand even better the weight of the new political and security reality of the OSCE area.

So, Mme. President,
Let us work together for a renewed OSCE and let us make this Summit a success. I thank you.