World is Adapting to New Realities, Rupel Underscores at Conference
Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has pointed to the importance of reforms in the OSCE, the UN, NATO and the EU as he addressed the annual Munich Security Conference in his capacity as the OSCE chairman-in-office.
Speaking to the STA after his address on Sunday, Rupel said: "The whole world is changing and adapting to the new realities." He explained his address underscored the importance of reforms in the international community.
Moreover, Rupel particularly emphasised the role of the OSCE and the cooperation between the OSCE and the UN. The two organisations share many common projects, including efforts in dealing with the future of Kosovo, Rupel said.
Rupel told the STA that there was an intense need for reforms in the OSCE and UN as these organisations face the challenges of the globalised world. Reforms will be on the agenda of many conferences this year, he said.
He also revealed that a panel of eminent persons which has been assembled to draft a proposal for OSCE reform will be meeting in Ljubljana this week.
The end of the Cold War and subsequently of the bi-polar world has left the international community in a new position. This new reality calls for a new understanding of the challenges of globalisation, such as poverty, natural disasters, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
Asked about the upcoming review of the implementation of standards in Kosovo, Rupel was confident that things in Kosovo have changed for the better over the past year.
Saying that Kosovo was eagerly awaiting progress in the aftermath of the review, he explained that it would likely lead to a new plan for Kosovo that would deal with the conditions related to the future status of the province.
Rupel reiterated the need for urgency in tacking the future of Kosovo, saying the matter had to be attended to this year.
Rupel attended the annual Munich Security Conference together with Defence Minister Karl Erjavec. The pair held several bilateral meetings during their three-day stay in the Bavarian capital.
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