News

At the close of the year 2009, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius decreed a set up of an inter-service working group to steer Lithuania’s preparations for the Chairmanship and to coordinate the actual Chairmanship (over the OSCE) in 2011.

The working group will be headed by Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Evaldas Ignatavičius and it will include representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Social Security and Labour, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Energy and other public institutions.

The OSCE – the world's largest regional organization with 56 participating states – has a three-fold focus: human rights, economic-environmental and military-political. As of the beginning of 2010, the chairmanship has been in the hands of Kazakhstan.

The Prime Minister said at the last year June’s Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE in Vilnius that the only road to the sure and indivisible security in the whole OSCE region is not the creation of a new security architecture but adherence to the commitments taken and agreements made and guided by clear principles. “The today‘s global crisis calls very clearly for a joint and coordinated action in many areas, while the rich historic experience of the OSCE testifies to the fact that the best decision is implementation of agreements made and guided by clear principles and values as well as cooperation for the benefit of our military and economic security. Respect for and promotion of common values underpin such international cooperation”, said Andrius Kubilius.

Also, the Lithuanian Prime Minister noted that the energy policy and energy security is one of the most important dimensions of economic security policies that call for a coordinated global response.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlines that Lithuania, as part of the OSCE Troika, seeks efficient, sustainable and multi-dimensional agenda for the Organisation. The OSCE Troika consists of the Foreign Ministers of the previous, current and succeeding Chairs of the Organisation (currently, those of Greece, Kazakhstan, and Lithuania).

Kazakhstan has taken over the OSCE Chairmanship this year. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabajev, current Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, has appointed Vytautas Naudužas, Ambassador for Energy and Transport Policy Issues of the Economic Security and Policy Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as special CiO Representative on Transport. This appointment marks recognition of Lithuania’s experience in development of international transport policy.

As OSCE Chair, Lithuania will strengthen its own international and regional role and will get ready for the EU Presidency in 2013 as well as its potential membership in the UN Security Council in 2014-2015. During its OSCE Chairmanship, Lithuania will seek to further strengthen the notion of all-embracing security in the current European security architecture.

Lithuania is the first Baltic State to chair the OSCE.