Belarusian officials attending consultations on OSCE reform :: Charter'97 :: News

A Belarusian delegation is attending a round of high-level consultations on reforming the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that opened in Vienna on September 12.

Belarus is represented by Valery Romashko, chief of the foreign ministry`s Main Department for Europe, and Ambassador-at-large Natalya Drozd, the ministry`s press office said.

The decision to hold the consultations was made at last December`s meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Sofia, Bulgaria. The consultations are a key OSCE event aimed at identifying priority areas of the organization`s reform.

Delegations representing OSCE member states are expected to use the occasion to share their views of the OSCE reform and discuss a report prepared by the "panel of eminent persons" on steps to make the organization more effective.

According to the foreign ministry, Belarus advocates the reorganization of the OSCE that would help it better respond to new challenges and threats, as well as changes in the operation of OSCE missions and the improvement of the methodology used by the organization`s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in monitoring elections.