Armenia will chair the Forum for Security Co-operation of the OSCE for four months starting in April. It takes over from the United States.
The FSC Chairmanship rotates every four months according to (French) alphabetical order. The Chairmanship takes the lead in setting the agenda for each meeting and draws attention to issues concerning the implementation of commitments adopted by the Forum.
On Wednesday, the United States chaired the last meeting of the Forum under its chairmanship. The outgoing Chairman and the forthcoming Chairman, Austria, will form the Forum troika.
The United States fostered meaningful dialogue and sought to set the stage for rebuilding military transparency and confidence over the course of its Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) Chairpersonship, said Courtney Austrian, United States Chargé d’Affaires, as she opened the last FSC meeting under the US FSC Chair. At the end of the meeting the US representative handed over the chairmanship of the forum to Armenia.
The head of the Armenian Mission to the OSCE, Ambassador Armen Papikyan thanked the US chairmanship for the efforts. He stated that joint efforts, constructive engagement and dialogue are needed for ensuring peace and security in the OSCE area
Talking about Armenia’s chairmanship priorities at the Forum, the Ambassador highlighted arms control, regional security, co-operation with other organisations, confidence-building measures and consistent implementation of the OSCE commitments and obligations.
source: commonspace.eu with osce.org (Vienna) and Armenpress (Yerevan)
photo: The US charge d'affaires at the Mission to the OSCE hands over the chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation at the end of a forum meeting in Vienna on 25 March 2021 (picture courtesy of the Armenian foreign ministry)