Nyhedsbrev fra Ambassadør Andreas Nothelle, uge 8-11

Special Representative
To:
PA President
and
PA Secretary General
PC Brief Week 8 - 11, 2018
The first of these weeks was devoted to the Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parlia-
mentary Assembly, which the News from Copenhagen have extensively reported
about. During the remaining weeks there have been (routine) meetings by the
Permanent Council (PC) and the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC). The latter
also held the Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting (AIAM). A number of
committees and other informal bodies and gatherings have also met. Francesco
Pagani participated in a visit to Baku and a pre-assessment visit for the upcoming
elections in Azerbaijan.
The FSC approved Agenda, Timetable and Modalities for the 7th Annual Discus-
sion on the Implementation of the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of
Security (13 June 2018 in Vienna). No other decisions have been taken in the PC
and the FSC. The main outstanding decisions are the one on the extension of the
Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMM) and the selection of a new Head of
that Mission. Since the latter process could not be completed on time, the term of
Ambassador Apakan has been extended – on an exceptional basis - for another
12 months. Other than that, the PC and the FSC held routine discussions.
The AIAM turned out to be more interesting and lively than in past years, with
some noting (very) small progress in the rhetoric. Most “Western” dele-
gates underlined the importance of Confidence and Security Building Measures
(CSBMs), calling for the modernization of the Vienna Document, but emphasized
the need to implement it to the spirit of the letter in the meantime. Italy noted that
modern developments have changed the dynamics of the document
Ukraine questioned the relevance/strength of current CSBMs due to Russia’s be-
havior. In the same vain, Armenia complained about the lack of transparency and
large-scale military activity in reference to Azerbaijan. In the context of discus-
sions about Military Doctrines, Ukraine noted that they developed a new military
doctrine in 2015 which called for greater partnership with NATO, naming Russia
as the enemy. Russia informed delegates on a snap exercise and armed forces,
criticizing western nations for not engaging in a dialogue during the Moscow Con-
ference on International Security. One important discussion focused also on mili-
tary to military contacts, and on the role of the Conflict Prevention Center.
Andreas Nothelle
Ambassador
March 19, 2018
OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2017-18
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 18
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