Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter has detailed Switzerland’s priorities for its presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014.
Speaking before the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on Tuesday, Burkhalter praised the close cooperation between Switzerland and Serbia, which will lead the 57-nation organisation in 2015, after Switzerland.
The two countries produced a joint work plan for 2014 and 2015 in order to promote continuity and coherence in the organisation’s activities, said Burkhalter – the first time in OSCE history that such an approach has been taken.
«Perhaps this will be a model for the future,» he suggested.
Appearing with his Serbian counterpart, Ivan Mrkic, Burkhalter named three common priorities set by the two countries: fostering security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions, improving the living conditions of local populations, and strengthening the OSCE.
The OSCE principle of security through cooperation and dialogue is compatible with the Swiss view of security policy, according to Burkhalter, and Switzerland feels a strong commitment to the security organisation because of its consensus-oriented and inclusive political system.
«No state can be secure as long as one state is insecure,» he said.