Some 50 foreign ministers of OSCE states to attend the 2014 Ministerial Council meeting in Basel

December 3, 2014 13:21

Baku. 3 December. REPORT.AZ/ The annual meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will take place on 4 and 5 December 2014 in Basel at the invitation of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship. Approximately 50 of the delegations present in Basel will be headed by a foreign minister, Report informs.

More than 70 delegations from OSCE participating States, partner States and several international organisations are expected in Basel. Foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedyarov will also participate the meeting.

The discussions of this central decision-making and management body of foreign ministers of OSCE participating States wilI focus on the situation in Ukraine on the first day and on combating international terrorism on the second. A civil society forum will take place in the run-up to the meeting on 3 December. The greater involvement of civil society – and young people – in the work of the OSCE is a priority of the 2014 Swiss Chairmanship.

In light of events this year, the 2014 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting will focus on the following two main issues: the Ukraine crisis and the future of European security will be the subjects of discussion on the first day of the meeting of foreign ministers of OSCE participating States, 4 December 2014. The OSCE Chairperson-in Office, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, will discuss the situation in Ukraine with the Foreign Ministers in an informal context in the evening of 3 December. On Friday 5 December, the discussions will focus on the issue of foreign fighters.

The Ministerial Council is the most important decision-making and management body of the OSCE at foreign-minister level. Each December the Ministerial Council sets the course of the organisation's work for the coming year. On 1 January 2015, the OSCE Chairmanship will pass to Serbia.