Head of key regional group advocates closer ties with UN to tackle security threats

6 Feb 2010

Head of key regional group advocates closer ties with UN to tackle security threats

5 February 2010 - The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today called for boosting the body’s partnership with the United Nations to tackle threats to peace and security.

 

“We believe that a more efficient use of capabilities of such organizations as the OSCE would help the UN and its Security Council to more effectively prevent potential security threats and respond to them,” Kanat Saudabayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and Chairman-in-Office for the OSCE, told a meeting of the Security Council.

Mr. Saudabayev added that the OSCE and other regional intergovernmental bodies play an important role in the area of security, with their “unique resources and advantages and good understanding of the situation on the ground.”

A top priority for the Chairman-in-Office, he stated, is further involvement of the OSCE in the stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan.

“Close interaction between the OSCE and the UN, which is the main coordinator of international operations in Afghanistan, is in our common interests,” said Mr. Saudabayev.

The OSCE plans to focus its efforts on boosting the protection of Afghanistan’s borders with its Central Asian neighbours, including through the training of Afghan personnel at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Tajikistan and the OSCE Customs Training Center in Kyrgyzstan.

“At the same time, we are convinced that it is impossible to ensure a country’s transition to a peaceful and constructive life through military means alone,” he added. “The time has come for a major expansion of the human dimension of our common efforts, as confirmed by the outcome of the London Conference on Afghanistan.”

At the 28 January conference, the international community came together to fully align military and civilian resources behind an Afghan-led political strategy towards the shared goal of a stable and secure Afghanistan.

Mr. Saudabayev noted that all OSCE initiatives will be pursued in full coordination with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and other entities.

The Chairman also touched on the OSCE’s efforts in the areas of nuclear security, human rights, and the environment as part of his briefing to the 15-member Council.