Ukraine's chairmanship in the OSCE completed successfully

20th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which became the last one in Ukraine's chairmanship in this organization, ended in Kiev on December 6. The event was attended by 30 heads of foreign ministers of the OSCE participating states, the Information-Analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs.

The Chairman of the OSCE, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara said in his speech that the current Congress of the Council of Ministers is held "against the background of peaceful public demonstrations in Kiev, which confirms Ukraine’s observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association."

Analyzing the results of Ukraine's chairmanship in the OSCE, Leonid Kozhara noted the successful start of "Helsinki 40" process, which involves the OSCE upgrading and was initiated by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Dublin in 2012. In addition, an important part of the organization efforts was the process of settlement of protracted ethnic conflicts. The Minister welcomed the new dynamism in bilateral dialogue at the highest level between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

International experts say that during the presidency of Ukraine in the OSCE, significant progress has been made in strengthening the organization's mandate in the field of energy and environment. Steps in promoting energy efficiency of renewable energy sources were also noted.

During a joint press conference of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zaner, the latter noted that the meeting of the Council of Ministers in Kiev contributed to the development of long-term agenda of the organization. And positive trends of Ukrainian chairmanship will be developed in the upcoming chairmanship of Switzerland and Serbia in 2014 and 2015.