Swiss FM: ‘Flexibility, Creativity’ Needed to Restore OSCE Presence in Georgia

Switzerland, which assumed OSCE’s rotating chairmanship, said it is ready to work on restoration of OSCE mission in Georgia.

The Swiss OSCE chairmanship is “ready to re-launch a discussion on the OSCE presence in Georgia, provided that the stakeholders show flexibility and creativity regarding the institutional setup of the OSCE presence,” Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said on January 16 while outlining priorities of his country’s OSCE chairmanship during an address to the organization’s Permanent Council in Vienna.

OSCE mission had to end its operation in Georgia in June, 2009 after a failure to agree on its mandate following Russia’s recognition of Georgia’s breakaway regions. At the time Russia rejected a proposal by then OSCE chairmanship, Greece, which was based on the so called “status-neutral” formula making no mention of Georgia or its breakaway regions in order to avoid dispute over the status.

The Swiss Foreign Minister, whose country is acting as a mediator between Georgia and Russia after they cut off diplomatic ties following the August, 2008 war, said the Geneva talks “mark a unique platform which should be strengthened to lay the ground for a conflict settlement.”

“We will encourage the participants of the Geneva Discussions to seek status-neutral solutions for a range of conflict-related problems. The Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism will remain a crucial element to stabilize the security situation on the ground,” Burkhalter said.

Speaking on conflicts in South Caucasus, the Swiss Foreign Minister said that progress may not come overnight and “no settlement will be feasible unless the parties are committed to it.”

“However, we firmly believe that it is not an option to simply wait and see in these conflicts. We will work hard to move forward, proceeding step by step,” he said.

He also said that the OSCE’s Swiss chairmanship will be focused on “incremental progress rather than any new grand designs.”

“Our ambition is to reinforce positive dynamics in the OSCE that allow participating states to gradually increase their level of security and their mutual understanding,” the Swiss Foreign Minister said.

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