The process that led to the creation of the modern day OSCE was crucial in ending the Cold War and making Europe safer and more united, Slovenia's Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman Dimitrij Rupel has said.
Speaking in Helsinki on Monday at a conference to mark 30 years of the Helsinki Final Act, Rupel underscored the importance of the Helsinki Final Act and the creation of the OSCE for the promotion of peace and democracy in Europe.
Rupel also stressed that the process of building of a free and prosperous Europe was not completed yet, Slovenia's Foreign Ministry said.
"Peace in the Balkans is still fragile, while in parts of Europe reforms are only a few years in the making. It is important that we keep vigilant and that the OSCE remains involved in SE and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and in Central Asia," he said.
Moreover, he underscored the threat that terrorism poses to the goal of building a free and prosperous Europe. "Organised crime and terrorism are really two sides of the same coin. Here, the OSCE can do more, and this is why law and order, good governance in Central Asia and beyond are so relevant."
The Helsinki Final Act is widely seen as one of the key achievements of the policy of detente in the 1970s that brought East and West together during the Cold War.
The document was adopted at the conclusion of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, which was launched in 1972 and eventually led to the establishment of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Apart from Rupel, the seminar on the 30th anniversary of the Helsinki declaration on peace in Europe was also addressed by Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Toumioja.
Rupel also held a meeting with Toumioja on the margins of the event, with talks focusing on the need for the EU to set aside sufficient funds for science and development in its upcoming spending plan.
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