BERLIN (Sputnik) – Berlin is ready to accept responsibility of the chairmanship in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) during the toughest challenges to peace and security in the region since the end of the Cold War, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Friday.
On January 1, Germany took over the rotating OSCE chairmanship. Previously, it held the chairmanship of the organization in 1991. The presiding country is set to focus its work on solving the Ukrainian crisis and the strengthening of various capabilities of the OSCE, including crisis management.
"Germany takes the OSCE chairmanship in turbulent times. We're probably facing most serious threats to peace and security in Europe since the end of the Cold War. Germany is ready to take responsibility," Steinmeier said in a statement posted on the country’s Foreign Ministry website.
The role of the OSCE and its predecessor Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) has become fundamental in the implementation of "the policy of the East-West detente" for "overcoming the Cold War and the reunification of Germany and Europe."
The minister also noted that Germany would do everything in its power to restore the lost confidence in Europe, adding that it concerned the restoration of "sustainable security."
Having its roots in the 1973 CSCE, the OSCE is the world's largest security-oriented non-governmental organization. The OSCE aims to address a wide range of issues, including arms control, counter-terrorism activities and human rights protection.
