#12 - JRL 2006-35 - JRL Home
Russia Favors OSCE Reform - Deputy PM Ivanov
MUNICH. Feb 5 (Interfax) - Moscow insists that the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should be involved in the improvement of
security in all member-states, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense
Minister Sergei Ivanov.
"The goal of Russia's policy is to make sure that the OSCE again meets its
primary mission: the strengthening of the security of all countries the
organization includes," Ivanov said at the Munich Conference on Security Policy
on Sunday.
"The desired goal can be achieved only if all are treated equally and there
is mutual respect for the parties' interests," Ivanov said.
"Certainly, we can talk about some disagreements in Russia's and the West's
positions in the OSCE. But you can't deny the fact that a large coalition that
stands for reform has appeared among OSCE members. This coalition includes
Russia, other CIS countries, and a lot of Western states," Ivanov said.
"Combining our efforts within the framework of the common European process,
we have managed to create quite a solid basis for continuing constructive
dialogue on the entire range of global and regional security problems," Ivanov
said.
"It is important not to stop at what we have already achieved. We need to
move ahead and develop a general European military-political strategy through
the coordination of national concepts in the area of security based on the UN
Charter and the principles of international law. I believe that this goal is
quite realistic. It is possible to achieve it if we are able to translate the
common vision of new partner- like relations into the language of practical
steps. Europe can count on Russia as a reliable, predictable, and responsible
partner in this," he said.
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