Ekaterina Zaharieva at OSCE’s Ministerial Meeting: “We Must Ease People’s Life in Conflict Zones”
09 July 2019 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva took part today in a one-day informal ministerial gathering of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The forum in the High Tatras mountain resort in the Slovak Republic was organised by the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship under the auspices of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák in his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the Organisation for 2019.
Within the framework of the informal dialogue between the heads of delegations, Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva stressed that an international order based on rules and standards, as well as on international institutions guaranteeing peace, security, prosperity, sustainable development and respect for human rights, needs to function in today’s rapidly changing world. An effective and stable international system should be capable of responding to the new security challenges and promote a peaceful settlement of state-to-state disputes.
“I meet a lot of people during my visits to various parts of the world, and I agree with the Slovak Chairmanship that ways should be found to ease people’s life in conflict zones,” Minister Zaharieva said. “The world is interconnected, and we need rules placing small and large countries on an equal footing. Fundamental human rights must be respected, and we should respect our differences.”
“Political will is needed to make up the deficit of confidence between states. That is why we should shift the focus from what sets us apart to what brings us together. The OSCE is well positioned to cooperate in coordination with other organisations like the EU, the Council of Europe and the UN, it is a permanent political dialogue among the countries,” Zaharieva said, and this part of her statement was later quoted by Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, who has been nominated for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Along with all important aspects of security on the European continent, the foreign ministers also discussed the ongoing crisis in and around Ukraine and the concomitant loss of human lives and grave humanitarian situation.
The OSCE plays an important role in the Western Balkans where, together with the EU, it works for strengthening security, the rule of law and democracy. Within this framework, the two organisations have a potential to cooperate in fieldwork.
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