Diplomatic Sources for OSCE Summit: Obligation of OSCE Participants to Respect International Law

Greece is a pillar of stability in the wider region, both in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Southeastern Europe, said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, during his speech at the 17th OSCE Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which took place in Stockholm.

In this context, according to diplomatic sources, the Foreign Minister stressed the obligation of the participating states in the OSCE to fully respect international law, including the UN Charter, which explicitly prohibits the threat or use of force, as well as the International Law of the Sea.

At the same time, he reiterated the full condemnation by our country of any attempt to instrumentalize immigration, wherever it comes from, for political purposes. In fact, he pointed out that the external borders of the member states of the European Union are also European borders.

On the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting, the Foreign Minister had a series of bilateral meetings.

He first met with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, with whom he discussed the promotion of bilateral relations in the fields of trade, investment, tourism and energy. The particularly worrying situation in Afghanistan was also discussed. According to the same diplomatic sources, the Foreign Minister stressed that the further destabilization of this country poses particular risks in terms of increasing migration flows and called for cooperation to address this situation.

It is recalled that the Foreign Minister had met with his Kyrgyz counterpart in New York last September and had also participated in a Ministerial Conference on developments in Afghanistan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

There was also a formal meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Svetlan Stoev, during which co-operation within the European Union was discussed, as well as the European course of the Western Balkans.

Following his visit to Sarajevo last January, the Foreign Minister met in Stockholm with his Bosnian and Herzegovinian counterpart Bisera Turkovic. Diplomatic sources report that during the meeting, Nikos Dendias reiterated Greece’s support for the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity through a functional model of governance. He noted, however, the particular concern of Greece for the developments in the country, reiterated the full support of its European perspective and stressed that Greece is willing and willing to assist in normalizing the situation.

Following a recent telephone conversation, as well as a visit to Yerevan last year, the Foreign Minister also met with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, in which he stressed the very close relations between the two countries, as well as the long-standing interest. of Greece for the developments in the Caucasus.

Regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the same sources, the Foreign Minister reiterated Greece’s support for the Minsk Group’s efforts within the OSCE.

This was followed by a brief meeting with Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, the first since 2019, in which he stressed the need to avoid the use of force and de-escalate tensions in the region.

The Foreign Minister also met with his Marine counterpart Luca Beccari, with whom he signed a memorandum of political consultation between the two Foreign Ministries. Cooperation in international organizations was also discussed. In this context, the Foreign Minister pointed out the Greek candidacy for a position in the Security Council in the period 2025-2026.

Cooperation in International Organizations was also discussed during the meeting with Andorran Foreign Minister Maria Ubach Fon.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ