Stubb: Georgia crisis strengthened OSCE

Host of Helsinki meeting cautious about predicting results

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“Personally, this is certainly the most important week of my life after the war in Georgia”, says Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) in his office at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
     Nevertheless, Stubb appears quite calm, even though, in his capacity as foreign minister of the country that holds the Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, he has the responsibility of hosting the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council which begins at the Helsinki Fair Centre on Thursday.
     
The main goal for Stubb and for Finland is to iron out a political declaration at the conclusion of the meeting.
     However, he admits that he is somewhat doubtful about the possible success of such a move; to pass, such a declaration would require consensus among all of the countries.
     “It is enough for one of the 56 member states of the OSCE to demand something that another country cannot accept. That is why this is something of a game of chance”, Stubb told Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday.
     Reaching unanimity is tricky, considering the complexity of the main themes of the meeting: the crisis in the Caucasus and the future of European security arrangements.
     
The brief war between Russia and Georgia in August was seen by many - Stubb included - as a turning point in the security situation for Europe, and for the security of the continent.
     The crisis is the focus of international negotiations in Geneva, but the causes and consequences of the war will be discussed in Helsinki as well.
     However, the matter is too sensitive for a solution to be found at a single foreign ministers’ meeting.
     Russia has been at the forefront of efforts to reform European security arrangements. The initiative has raised suspicions in the West, even though nobody knows yet what Russia actually wants.
     
The most important aim of a declaration would be to commit all member states to the basic principles of the OSCE - security, economics, and democracy. Stubb hopes that the meeting could speed up efforts to organise an OSCE summit. It has been ten years since such a meeting has been held.
     “But if efforts are made to water down the declaration even a little, then I will say that it is better not to have a declaration at all. It certainly would be wonderful to come home and say that the foreign ministers’ meeting has achieved a [political] declaration for the first time in six years, in which a decision had been made on a summit meeting”, Stubb said.
     
Finland will relinquish the OSCE Chairmanship to Greece at the beginning of next year. In Stubb’s view, the OSCE is “in significantly better shape” now than it was a year ago, when Finland took the Chairman’s gavel.
     “I have to admit that the crisis in Georgia was, so to say, fortune in adversity for the profile of our Chairmanship. It was a crisis that should have been averted, but which led to a strengthening of the role of the OSCE”, Stubb said. “The OSCE is at its best in this type of crisis management.”
     One of the effects of the crisis was that an exceptionally large number of foreign ministers will be taking part in the meeting.
     US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who cancelled her planned participation because of the crisis in India, met with Foreign Minister Stubb on Tuesday evening in connection with a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting. Although Finland is not a NATO member, Stubb attended the meeting in his capacity as OSCE Chairman.

More on this subject:
 Rice meets Stubb - expresses regret over cancellation of participation at OSCE meeting

Previously in HS International Edition:
  OSCE foreign ministers´ meeting to be biggest conference ever in Helsinki (1.12.2008)
  Stubb wants to get OSCE to agree on political declaration (21.11.2008)
  OSCE Chairmanship keeps Finland busy to very end (1.11.2008)

See also:
  “Helsinki Spirit” unlikely to warm East-West relations much at OSCE meeting (30.11.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat