Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl called for a reform of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) as he addressed a conference in Vienna on Friday. According to him, the organisation is now in an unenviable situation so a joint effort should be made for the countries east of Vienna to again accept the organisation as their own.
Addressing the conference organised by the OSCE and the East-West Institute, Vajgl estimated that positive steps towards reforming the organisation should be made next year, the year Slovenia is due to assume the OSCE rotating presidency.
According to a Foreign Ministry press release, FM Vajgl urged for the prompt adoption of the OSCE budget for 2005. He believes OSCE's operation could be threatened if no agreement is reached on contributions by member states.
The minister said Slovenia had been closely following the debates on the criticism the former Soviet union republics headed by Russia expressed about the OSCE. He commended the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for putting forward specific proposals for future action as a basis to continue to work together within the OSCE in the future.
The presidents of nine CIS countries addressed a letter to Slovenia earlier this year, criticising the OSCE's continued focus on these countries.
Referring to the Beslan hostage siege, Vajgl called for the OSCE to step up its activity in the fight against international terrorism and in the efforts to eradicate the reasons for it. He believes in that aspect the OSCE can serve as a good platform for cooperation between the East and the West.
Speaking about Slovenia's upcoming OSCE chairmanship, Vajgl said the biggest concern would be to overcome the current situation and to re-engage countries east of Vienna in the OSCE.
A renewal of partnership between the East and the West would have substantive consequences for the OSCE's work in many regions. In this way the 30th anniversary of efforts for security and cooperation in Europe could be honoured by true acts, Vajgl said.
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