On participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Mr.Vladimir Makei in the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel

On December 4–5, 2014 Basel (Switzerland) hosts the 21st Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

The Belarusian delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr.Vladimir Makei takes part in the meeting.



During the plenary session of the Ministerial Council, the Head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry stated the existence of serious crisis of European security and presented Belarusian vision of possible solutions.

The Minister urged to cast away the logic of confrontation and undertake urgent and decisive efforts aimed at preventing the whipping up of a spiral of recriminations, threats and sanctions. He also stressed the necessity to prevent the emergence of new dividing lines in the OSCE area  and the importance of maintaining the unity of the participating states with regard to the values and principles on which the Organization is based.

Mr. Vladimir Makei also took part in the informal discussion of the ministers on the process of settlement of the situation in Ukraine and the OSCE's role in it.

In the course of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Mr. Vladimir Makei held working meetings with the heads of delegations of the member states as well as with the heads of the European institutions.

During the meeting with the Secretary General of OSCE Mr. Lamberto Zannier and the Director of the ODIHR Mr. Michael Georg Link, the sides discussed cooperation between Belarus and the OSCE Secretariat and institutions, including project cooperation.

At the meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland the sides considered the opportunities for the development of practical cooperation between Belarus and the Council of Europe.

Mr. Vladimir Makei also held meetings with his counterparts from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden and with the Secretary of State for European Affairs of France. The talks centred on the current state and prospects of development of bilateral relations in different spheres, the problems of the Belarus-Europe dialogue and cooperation in the framework of international organizations.

Vladimir Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó

Vladimir Makei meets the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Vladimir Makei meets the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of  Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák

Vladimir Makei meets the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Erkki Tuomioja

Vladimir Makei meets the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallström

Vladimir Makei meets the Minister of state for European affairs of France Harlem Désir

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus also held working meetings with the foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Turkey.

On the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council, the meeting of heads of delegations of the CSTO member states took place. Following its results, the participants issued at the initiative of Belarus a joint statement on harmonization of integration processes and freedom of movement in the OSCE area, as well as the Declaration on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Statement by Mr. Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, at the Plenary Session of the OSCE Ministerial Council (December 4, 2014, Basel) 

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