News

On 4 December at the 14th Ministerial Council  of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Brussels Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas marked, that  the OSCE members should devote more effort to meet the principal  organization’s challenges – regulation of “frozen” conflicts, terrorism prevention, implementation of its commitments on human rights.

“Regulation of “frozen” conflicts in Moldova and Southern Caucasus should remain the main OSCE priority for the next year,” the Head of Lithuanian Diplomacy underlined.

The Minister also urged Russia to fulfil the Istanbul commitments on armed forces withdrawal from Moldova and Georgia.

“Implementation of the OSCE-led restoration projects in Southern Ossetia, to which Lithuania undertook to contribute 100 thousand euros, should facilitate the regulation of the conflict,” the Minister said.

Minister Vaitiekūnas took a positive view of the OSCE potential for fight against terrorism and drew attention to Lithuania’s active participation in the Working Group on Non-military Aspects of Security in 2006.

The Minister expressed Lithuania’s support to the activities of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Mr  Vaitiekūnas noted that in 2006 Lithuania made a voluntary contribution to the ODIHR fund  for the diversification  of election observation missions.

The Head of Lithuanian Diplomacy also reminded that Lithuania strives to chair the OSCE in 2010.

At the OSCE Ministerial Council Lithuanian Foreign Minister met the Foreign Ministers and Heads of delegations of Spain, Kazakhstan and Cyprus and discussed bilateral relations, cooperation in economic and migration spheres and in civic society strengthening.