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On 30 June, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas welcomed the participants of the special session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA).

“The unique feature of this organization, which joins together 56 member states from Vancouver to Vladivostok and from Vilnius to Valletta, is its comprehensive approach to military and economic security, environment protection and human rights,” said Minister V.Ušackas.

In his speech, the Minister reminded about the Istanbul Declaration, which was adopted 10 years ago and laid out commitments of member states, as well as the fundamental principles. One of the principles of this declaration reads as follows: “Each participating State has an equal right to security. We reaffirm the inherent right of each and every participating State to be free to choose or change its security arrangements, including treaties of alliance, as they evolve.” The Minister said that if the Parties to the Declaration had followed the principles of the document, the war between Russia and Georgia might not have happened last August.

The Minister specifically outlined some aspects of the OSCE human dimension. According to the Minister, democratization, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, promotion of tolerance and free elections had to remain the core commitments that all OSCE participating states had undertaken in this dimension.

However, the Minister stated that despite every effort to implement the undertaken commitments, there were some negative trends, such as an increasing violence against journalists. According to V.Ušackas, such breaches of human rights called for resolute actions by the Organization.

During the special session of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Minister highlighted that matters of transportation and energy security should be more prominent on the OSCE agenda. He also emphasized the importance of Lithuania’s close cooperation with Kazakhstan within the OSCE framework on the issues of Afghanistan, the area of transport, also cooperation on the development of relations between the Baltic Sea states and Central Asia.

Today Lithuania’s Foreign Minister V.Ušackas and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, which currently chairs the OSCE, Dora Bakoyannis discussed important issues of the OSCE and future Chairmanship of this organization.

Minister V.Ušackas said that while getting ready for the Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2011 and Presidency of the European Union in 2013 - Lithuania’s relations with Greece would intensify even more as Lithuania and Greece would be part of the Troikas of countries presiding over these organizations. According to Minister D.Bakoyannis, Greece is ready to share with Lithuania its experience of holding presidency and chairmanship.

Minister V.Ušackas also met with OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebeak.

The OSCE representatives and the Minister discussed Lithuania’s activities, while getting ready for the Chairmanship of this regional security organization and presented possible priorities of the Chairmanship: solving old conflicts, strengthening region’s security, enhancing the human rights situation and democratization, fostering the economy and environment protection in the region.

The OSCE Secretary General drew attention to the necessity to secure the continuity of the activities of the organization, fulfillment of commitments and implementation of the tasks that were set.