Slovakia succeeded on December 2 in highlighting energy security at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Athens, with attendees of the ministerial session approving a decision on strengthening energy security as brought forward by Slovakia, Greece and the United States, the spokesman for the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, Peter Stano, told the TASR newswire. He added that the move lays the groundwork for extended involvement of OSCE in this area, with Slovakia aiming to employ OSCE’s possible measures and mechanisms to boost trust among member states.
Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák highlighted the need for using the organisation's capabilities vis-a-vis the fight against global threats, in the area of boosting energy security and in a more intense involvement into projects on cooperation with Afghanistan. The meeting in Athens was the culmination of Greece’s OSCE presidency this year. Overall, the discussion is focusing on the future of energy security, labelled as the Corfu Process.
Lajčák also discussed the options for resolving the conflict in Afghanistan with his counterparts from Central Asia. At a bilateral session with Tajikistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Khamrokhon Zafiri, Lajčák inquired about Tajikistan’s views on how to stabilise Afghanistan, which it borders, in order to ensure stability for the whole region. Lajcak discussed the same issues at a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Vladimir Norov and with Kyrgyzstan’s FAM Kadyrbek Sarbaev.
All the ministers agreed that the way to peace in Afghanistan is via non-military projects in the sphere of infrastructure and social issues. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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