On 5 – 6 December 2013, Mr. Narong Sasitorn, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, led the Thai Delegation to the 20th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE) in Kiev, Ukraine.

The OSCE Ministerial Council is an annual forum where Foreign Ministers or representatives from all of the OSCE Participating States and the Partners for Co-operation gather to review the OSCE’s past performance, as well as to discuss about security challenges. 

The 20th Ministerial Council reaffirmed its commitments to move forward the Helsinki+40 process which would transform the OSCE into a more effective and efficient “Security Community” by 2015, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of the landmark Helsinki Final Act. The Ministerial Council also issued statements and adopted decisions on various matters such as combating human trafficking; combating the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW); promoting and protecting the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; improving the environmental footprint of energy-related activities; protection of energy networks from natural and man-made disasters; addressing the protracted conflicts in the OSCE regions.  

In his statement to the plenary session, Mr. Sasitorn, reiterated the importance of democracy and the rule of law as the foundation for security and reaffirmed Thailand’s commitments to cooperate with the OSCE in strengthening global peace and security. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which is a regional security organization in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific shares common objectives in comprehensive security with the OSCE. Therefore, Thailand, as the only ASEAN member in the OSCE, supports a closer partnership between the ARF and the OSCE with its readiness to act as a bridge between the two groupings. In addition, Thailand announced its intention to elevate relations with the OSCE.

During the 20th Ministerial Council, Head of the Thai delegation also had bilateral meetings with Ministers and high-ranking representatives from 11 countries, namely Tajikistan, Georgia, Ireland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Mongolia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Switzerland, including  Mr. Lamberto Zannier, Secretary-General of the OSCE, to strengthen bilateral ties and seek support for its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2017 – 2018, and Thailand’s candidature to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for the term 2015 – 2017. During his bilateral meetings with the OSCE Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the OSCE, Head of the Thai  delegation also sought their support for Thailand’s intention to become an OSCE Participating State, whereby both parties expressed their full support.

Switzerland will take over the Chairmanship of the OSCE in January 2014, and will host the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in early December next year in Basel.

The OSCE has its origins from the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) during the détente phase of the Cold War in the early 1970s and was renamed the “OSCE” in 1994. The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to the challenges of security that covers three main dimensions: 1) politico-military 2) economic and environmental and 3) human dimension which focuses on democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.  

Currently, the OSCE has 57 Participating States, predominantly from Europe and Central Asia. Thailand has been an Asian Partner for Co-operation of the OSCE since 9 November 2000 with an aim to apply the OSCE’s experiences in security building in Europe to ASEAN and the ARF; to inform the OSCE of key developments within Asia in particular Thailand’s policies and its role in security building in Asia; and to promote cooperation with the OSCE on the human dimension of security in which Thailand plays a significant role at the regional and global level.