VIENNA, 8 September 2021 — “Trust has to be earned over and over again. Trust is the ‘sine qua non’ for stability and sustainable security in the OSCE region. We therefore need dialogue, co-operation and transparency,” said Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs of Austria, as he opened the Austrian Chairpersonship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) today in Vienna.

“Shaping the future — this is our mission here in the OSCE. It is up to all of us to live up to the dynamic aspirations of the past decades such as the Helsinki Final Act or the Charter of Paris,” he said. “It is about putting predictability, solution orientation and confidence-building back at the centre of our actions and our thinking as fundamental elements of effective co-operation.”

Launsky-Tieffenthal spoke about the conflicts and crises throughout the OSCE region and underscored how they “urgently require resolution” and an adherence to fundamental OSCE principles and commitments. Describing the negative consequences of conflict, he said, “We would advocate that the spirit of co-operation should always prevail — without masking existing differences. People rightly expect a dialogue that lives up to its name.”

In efforts to foster trust and transparency, the Austrian FSC Chair’s security dialogues will focus on the core areas of the FSC mandate while weaving in thematic debates, said Launsky-Tieffenthal, recalling the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship’s motto of ‘Back to basics’. The programme will include topics such as the Framework for Arms Control, the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, military doctrines, small arms and light weapons, conventional ammunition.

Referring to the FSC as “a team of 57 players” flanked by the FSC Troika and OSCE staff, Launsky-Tieffenthal encouraged the participating States to make “an active, constructive contribution toward a willingness to compromise” over the course of the Austrian FSC Chairpersonship. “This is the only way we can be successful together!”