OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 42: Optegnelser fra den årlige session i Istanbul

Address to the Plenary Session of the 22ndAnnual Sessionof the OSCE Parliamentary AssemblyIstanbul29 June 2013Minister Davutoğlu,Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Çi§ek,President Grossruck,Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Parliamentary Assembly plays an important role in promoting OSCE values, principlesand commitments. Your efforts make a concrete contribution to realizing our vision of acommon security community.

I would like to thank you, the Parliamentary Assembly, and our Turkish hosts for providingthis welcome opportunity to advance the debate on how the OSCE can best contribute tosecurity and stability in our region. In the OSCE, we know very well how dialogue helps tofoster trust and confidence among States and to bridge persistent differences, which in turnhelps us to address common threats.

As you know, two years from now, the OSCE will celebrate the 40thanniversary of thesigning of the Helsinki Final Act, a historic triumph of co-operation over conflict. A centrallegacy of Helsinki is our comprehensive approach to security encompassing the threedimensions.

Helsinki +40 provides an opportunity to think creatively and strategically about the future ofthe OSCE. The process will help us to more clearly define the critical role of the OSCE intoday’s evolving security environment and to look for effective responses to currentchallenges. Track II involvement in the Helsinki +40 discussions through our Security Daysconferences, our new network of think tanks and other avenues is an important element of theprocess. The Parliamentary Assembly can also make an important contribution to Helsinki+40.

The Chairman-in-Office has already informed you about the goals, progress and futuredirections of Helsinki +40. I would only add that although reform is not the primary goal ofthe process, it is clear that some updating is needed to better equip the Organization to meetcontemporary threats to security. The OSCE’s greatest strengths are our comprehensiveapproach to security, our inclusiveness, our permanent dialogue and our consensus-baseddecision-making. But we need to reform and modernize our working procedures andstructures to better meet the challenges of our time. This includes greater harmonizationamong the OSCE institutional components.

But let me make one thing clear: Reforms resulting from the Helsinki +40 process should notlead to a dilution of the OSCE commitments. There is no need to modify the commitments ofthe past; instead we should complement them with new tools.

Still, we need to be creative in finding new ways to engage while protecting fundamentalvalues and the goals of the Helsinki Final Act. One way could be to invest in the first andsecond dimensions to achieve progress in strategic areas like conventional arms control and

I would like to thank the Parliamentary Assembly for making Helsinki +40 the focus of yourannual meeting, and I welcome your ideas and contributions to the ongoing debate. We needactive and sustained engagement by our participating States for the Helsinki +40 process tosucceed, so I also ask for your support. When you return to your capitals, please bring theHelsinki +40 agenda to the attention of your governments, your parliaments and yourconstituencies.

Allow me to say a few words about the security challenges facing the OSCE today.In today’s globalized world, security is no longer a zero-sum game. States cannot confronttransnational threats like terrorism, drug trafficking and cyber-security challenges alone. Weare all in it together: strengthening the security of one benefits the whole community.As highlighted at the recent Security Days conference in Vienna on the OSCE in the 21stcentury, in an increasingly complex and multipolar security environment, perceptions ofthreats vary from one state to another. So it is extremely important that we identify andunderstand these differences, and on that basis define common goals. I am encouraged by thedegree of convergence when it comes to shared understanding that transnational threats canonly be tackled together. We should continue exploring how the OSCE’s potential can beused to confront these challenges more effectively and thereby strengthen trust andconfidence.

I already see progress in some areas. The OSCE is working on conceptualizing andoperationalizing its role in addressing transnational threats, including new cyber-security/ICTchallenges. This calls for greater operational interaction among international organizations,beginning with the United Nations. Co-operating with other regional security organizationshas also become crucial to confronting these challenges effectively.

At the 2010 Astana Summit, OSCE participating States recognized that the security of ourregion is “inextricably linked” with that of neighbouring regions. As a result, we arestrengthening our relationship with our Partners for Co-operation in Asia and the3

Mediterranean, and developing a more strategic approach to our larger neighbourhood. Herein the Mediterranean region, we cannot ignore the conflict in Syria, which as we all know ishaving a direct impact on Turkey’s security. On a more positive note, just last week duringour Security Days conference, Libya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs formally submittedLibya’s application to become a Partner.

We are stepping up our efforts to approach Afghanistan and the Central Asian regionstrategically as the date for withdrawal of ISAF forces fast approaches. In devising thestrategic vision for Afghanistan post-2014, the OSCE could serve as an interesting model forregional co-operation and dialogue. We are already focusing on close co-operation withregional institutions, with a strong role for Russia and the Central Asian States. Mongolia,which had been one of our Asian Partners and became our 57thparticipating State last year, isalso eager to engage with the region.

The OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is an excellent modelfor effective regional co-operation and assistance in Central Asia. It fosters regionalnetworking and co-operation among senior and middle ranking officials of ministries andstate agencies, which facilitates common security assessments, mechanisms for informationsharing and joint operations. Providing the College with a stable source of funding wouldenable it to make full use of its potential and, if supported by participating States, developinto a fully-fledged institution devoted to tackling transnational threats in the region.

Especially because so many OSCE initiatives are devoted to preventing conflicts, often ourachievements do not receive the attention and credit they deserve in capitals and among thebroader public. This makes it more difficult to secure the support needed to sustain ourimportant efforts to increase security and stability in the OSCE region.As the Organization’s tasks and the scope of our work continue to grow, this puts increasingpressure on our budget, which we are now starting to discuss for 2014.

The increased co-ordination among our chairmanships in the run-up to 2015 gives us awelcome chance to work toward a long-term agenda, including longer-term planning anddeveloping longer-term priorities and resources.

I am aware that the Parliamentary Assembly would like to contribute to improvingtransparency and accountability within the Organization. I appreciate and share your concern.Transparency and accountability are core values that apply to all components of theOrganization, something we all must strive for. Indeed, I would be glad to facilitate anexchange of good practices on accountability and transparency between the two Secretariats.

Since I became Secretary General almost two years ago, I have been committed to makingthe OSCE Secretariat more efficient and responsive to the needs of the participating States,and I can assure you that everything we do is public and transparent. Indeed, we justreceived positive evaluations for 2012 from our external auditors and the Audit Committee,which report to the Permanent Council. We also have an Office of Internal Oversight thatconducts internal audits, evaluations and investigations; it reports directly to me on internalcontrol and risk management, and on the cost-effectiveness and integrity of OSCE activities.To introduce any new accountability mechanisms would require the consent of theparticipating States.

I have noted that some of your current resolutions seek to task the Organization. I wouldencourage you to work closely with your capitals to secure support and resources for anytaskings you suggest, for ultimately it is the participating States that assign our priorities andtasks. I am sure that the Permanent Council will welcome your suggestions and youradvocacy for support for the OSCE within your national parliaments.

Finally, I would like to say a few words about the Albanian elections earlier this week. I wasvery pleased by reports of excellent co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly andODIHR. This was especially important given the strong polarization we witnessed before theelections. I would like to see the close co-operation between the Parliamentary Assemblyand ODIHR in Albania set the tone for future OSCE election observation missions.5

This underscores an important point. We all must strive toward greater coherence and unityof purpose among the OSCE’s institutional components. After all, we are all part of the sameOrganization – we are devoted to upholding the same principles, we share the same goals forour participating States and their citizens – in short, we are all playing on the same team. Solet’s play like a winning team – let’s work together and support each other more effectivelyby increasing our communication, co-operation and co-ordination. And then the real winnerswill be the citizens and governments of our participating States.