Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Summit

Astana 2010

Chairmanship: Kazakhstan

ASTANA COMMEMORATIVE DECLARATION

TOWARDS A SECURITY COMMUNITY

1.We, the Heads of State or Government of the 56 participating States of the OSCE,have assembled in Astana, eleven years after the last OSCE Summit in Istanbul, to recommitourselves to the vision of a free, democratic, common and indivisible Euro-Atlantic andEurasian security community stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok, rooted in agreedprinciples, shared commitments and common goals. As we mark the 35thanniversary of theHelsinki Final Act and the 20thanniversary of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, wereaffirm the relevance of, and our commitment to, the principles on which this Organizationis based. While we have made much progress, we also acknowledge that more must be doneto ensure full respect for, and implementation of, these core principles and commitments thatwe have undertaken in the politico-military dimension, the economic and environmentaldimension, and the human dimension, notably in the areas of human rights and fundamentalfreedoms.2.We reaffirm our full adherence to the Charter of the United Nations and to all OSCEnorms, principles and commitments, starting from the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter ofParis, the Charter for European Security and all other OSCE documents to which we haveagreed, and our responsibility to implement them fully and in good faith. We reiterate ourcommitment to the concept, initiated in the Final Act, of comprehensive, co-operative, equaland indivisible security, which relates the maintenance of peace to the respect for humanrights and fundamental freedoms, and links economic and environmental co-operation withpeaceful inter-State relations.3.The security of each participating State is inseparably linked to that of all others. Eachparticipating State has an equal right to security. We reaffirm the inherent right of each andevery participating State to be free to choose or change its security arrangements, includingtreaties of alliance, as they evolve. Each State also has the right to neutrality. Eachparticipating State will respect the rights of all others in these regards. They will notstrengthen their security at the expense of the security of other States. Within the OSCE noState, group of States or organization can have any pre-eminent responsibility for maintainingpeace and stability in the OSCE area or can consider any part of the OSCE area as its sphereof influence. We will maintain only those military capabilities that are commensurate withour legitimate individual or collective security needs, taking into account obligations underinternational law, as well as the legitimate security concerns of other States. We furtherreaffirm that all OSCE principles and commitments, without exception, apply equally to eachparticipating State, and we emphasize that we are accountable to our citizens and responsible

to each other for their full implementation. We regard these commitments as our commonachievement, and therefore consider them to be matters of immediate and legitimate concernto all participating States.4.These norms, principles and commitments have enabled us to make progress inputting old confrontations behind us and in moving us closer to democracy, peace and unitythroughout the OSCE area. They must continue to guide us in the 21stcentury as we worktogether to make the ambitious vision of Helsinki and Paris a reality for all our peoples.These and all other OSCE documents establish clear standards for the participating States intheir treatment of each other and of all individuals within their territories. Resolved to buildfurther upon this strong foundation, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthen security, trustand good-neighbourly relations among our States and peoples. In this respect we areconvinced that the role of the OSCE remains crucial, and should be further enhanced. Wewill further work towards strengthening the OSCE’s effectiveness and efficiency.5.We recognize that the OSCE, as the most inclusive and comprehensive regionalsecurity organization in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area, continues to provide a uniqueforum, operating on the basis of consensus and the sovereign equality of States, forpromoting open dialogue, preventing and settling conflicts, building mutual understandingand fostering co-operation. We stress the importance of the work carried out by the OSCESecretariat, High Commissioner on National Minorities, Office for Democratic Institutionsand Human Rights and Representative on Freedom of the Media, as well as the OSCE fieldoperations, in accordance with their respective mandates, in assisting participating States withimplementing their OSCE commitments. We are determined to intensify co-operation withthe OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and encourage its efforts to promote security,democracy, and prosperity throughout the OSCE area and within participating States and toincrease confidence among participating States. We also acknowledge the Organization’ssignificant role in establishing effective confidence- and security-building measures. Wereaffirm our commitment to their full implementation and our determination to ensure thatthey continue to make a substantial contribution to our common and indivisible security.6.The OSCE’s comprehensive and co-operative approach to security, which addressesthe human, economic and environmental, political and military dimensions of security as anintegral whole, remains indispensable. Convinced that the inherent dignity of the individual isat the core of comprehensive security, we reiterate that human rights and fundamentalfreedoms are inalienable, and that their protection and promotion is our first responsibility.We reaffirm categorically and irrevocably that the commitments undertaken in the field of thehuman dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States anddo not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned. We value theimportant role played by civil society and free media in helping us to ensure full respect forhuman rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy, including free and fair elections, and therule of law.7.Serious threats and challenges remain. Mistrust and divergent security perceptionsmust be overcome. Our commitments in the politico-military, economic and environmental,and human dimensions need to be fully implemented. Respect for human rights, fundamentalfreedoms, democracy and the rule of law must be safeguarded and strengthened. Greaterefforts must be made to promote freedom of religion or belief and to combat intolerance anddiscrimination. Mutually beneficial co-operation aimed at addressing the impact on ourregion’s security of economic and environmental challenges must be further developed. Our

energy security dialogue, including on agreed principles of our co-operation, must beenhanced. Increased efforts should be made to resolve existing conflicts in the OSCE area ina peaceful and negotiated manner, within agreed formats, fully respecting the norms andprinciples of international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter, as well as theHelsinki Final Act. New crises must be prevented. We pledge to refrain from the threat or useof force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of theUnited Nations or with the ten Principles of the Helsinki Final Act.8.Conventional arms control and confidence- and security-building regimes remainmajor instruments for ensuring military stability, predictability and transparency, and shouldbe revitalized, updated and modernized. We value the work of the Forum for Security Co-operation, and look forward to the updating of the Vienna Document 1999. We value theCFE Treaty’s contribution to the creation of a stable and predictable environment for allOSCE participating States. We note that the CFE Treaty is not being implemented to its fullcapacity and the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty (ACFE) has not entered intoforce. Recognizing intensified efforts to overcome the current impasse, we express oursupport for the ongoing consultations aiming at opening the way for negotiations in 2011.9.At the same time, in today’s complex and inter-connected world, we must achievegreater unity of purpose and action in facing emerging transnational threats, such asterrorism, organized crime, illegal migration, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,cyber threats and the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, drugs and humanbeings. Such threats can originate within or outside our region.10.We recognize that the security of the OSCE area is inextricably linked to that ofadjacent areas, notably in the Mediterranean and in Asia. We must therefore enhance thelevel of our interaction with our Partners for Co-operation. In particular, we underscore theneed to contribute effectively, based on the capacity and national interest of eachparticipating State, to collective international efforts to promote a stable, independent,prosperous and democratic Afghanistan.11.We welcome initiatives aimed at strengthening European security. Our securitydialogue, enhanced by the Corfu Process, has helped to sharpen our focus on these and otherchallenges we face in all three dimensions. The time has now come to act, and we mustdefine concrete and tangible goals in addressing these challenges. We are determined to worktogether to fully realize the vision of a comprehensive, co-operative and indivisible securitycommunity throughout our shared OSCE area. This security community should be aimed atmeeting the challenges of the 21st century and based on our full adherence to common OSCEnorms, principles and commitments across all three dimensions. It should unite all OSCEparticipating States across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region, free of dividing lines,conflicts, spheres of influence and zones with different levels of security. We will work toensure that co-operation among our States, and among the relevant organizations andinstitutions of which they are members, will be guided by the principles of equality,partnership co-operation, inclusiveness and transparency. Drawing strength from ourdiversity, we resolve to achieve this overarching goal through sustained determination andcommon effort, acting within the OSCE and in other formats.12.To this end, we task the incoming Chairmanship-in-Office with organizing a follow-up process within existing formats, taking into consideration ideas and proposals put forwardby the participating States, including in the framework of the Corfu Process and in the