Didier Burkhalter: “Swiss chairmanship will support the efforts of the co-chairs of Minsk Group and contacts between the civil societies and experts of Azerbaijan and Armenia”
Baku. Shamil Alibeyli – APA. Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter today pledged to seize the opportunities offered by the OSCE as he outlined priorities for the Swiss Chairmanship of the Organization at the first Permanent Council in Vienna, APA reports.
Burkhalter also touched on the settlement of the protracted conflicts: “We all have a collective responsibility to contribute for a fair and sustainable settlement. We are well aware that progress may not come overnight, and that no settlement will be feasible unless the parties are committed. However, we firmly believe that it is not an option to simply wait and see. In the South Caucasus there have been positive signs in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in recent weeks. High level contacts have intensified since the meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia on November 19 in Vienna. Incidents in the line of contact do highly remain the matter of strong concern and we are in no illusion that the road to peace is long and windy. Swiss chairmanship will support the efforts of the co-chairs of Minsk Group. We will also encourage contacts between the civil societies and experts of Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
Switzerland would also seek to strengthen security sector governance, to focus on the implementation of existing commitments within the human dimension, to put the issue of torture back on the agenda, and to look for effective ways to counter trafficking in human beings. It will continue to coordinate closely with Serbia which will chair the OSCE in 2015, and work together on the basis of a joint work plan, Burkhalter said.
/Apa/
