The new chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz. He said that the organization can provide all necessary tools for promoting de-escalation and enabling sustainable political solutions to the conflicts in the OSCE area, not least the conflict in and around Ukraine.
More than 10,000 people from the OSCE area have served as foreign terrorist fighters, Kurz said. Austria is to organise chairmanship events aimed at fighting terrorism and preventing radicalization, especially among youth. These will include regional workshops as well as an informal meeting of foreign ministers in July 2017. He said: “We must work together to identify and address root causes and triggers for the seduction and radicalization of young people. And we must empower our youth to address this phenomenon in our societies. Tolerance and respect will enhance their resilience against these con men.”
About the OSCE
The 57-countries, Vienna-based OSCE covers security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratisation, policing strategies and counter-terrorism. Visit http://www.osce.org.
