Open dialogue of state leaders at OSCE Summit to increase confidence coefficient within Organization: M.Gusman
Mr. Gusman, in your opinion, what peculiarities do the modern global security trends have? How do the threats and challenges change in the OSCE space?
Many events showing ineffectiveness of the existing security system have happened during 11 years since the last OSCE Summit in Istanbul. Suffice it to recall the tragic situations at the territory of former Yugoslavia and South Ossetia, when the OSCE and its security system turned to be unable to protect their citizens. Besides, the threats and challenges themselves have changed. Today, terrorism and drug trafficking, men-made and environmental disasters and local conflicts came to the fore.
Does the world community succeed in developing appropriate responses to these challenges?
In this situation, reforming the OSCE, increasing its role and effectiveness in formation of new international security architecture seems absolutely logical. But it requires a consolidated approach of all OSCE participants. In my opinion, this is the main problem. For instance, Europe keeps on treating Moscow cautiously despite the declarative partnership with Russia. Besides, there exist internal conflicts in the European Union itself. Approaches and goals of the Old Europe and new members of the EU are sometimes different.
However, there are moments that give us hope. Despite the conflicts and geo-political interests the sides admit that the existing security regime doesn't work in the realms of the 21st century and they admit the existing necessity of its reforming. I believe these facts motivated to improve the relations with Moscow, renew the agenda of the Russia - USA and Russia - NATO dialogues.
Since the first days of the presidency Kazakhstan has started active work in all directions of the OSCE commitments. What results of these efforts can you emphasize today?
I think, the OSCE Summit that we all are looking forward to will sum up the results in the best way possible. However, I would like to emphasize several elements of the Kazakhstan's chairmanship that we can highly appraise today. Firstly, these are successful activities of Astana on strengthening mutual trust between the OSCE member states. Vivid testimonies to it can be seen in the relations of Moscow with Washington and in the dialogue with NATO. In this regard, the fact that Kazakhstan actively attempts to rebuild the trust, revive those basic principles on which the OSCE was found stands high. The Russian diplomacy supports Astana in it. This is the first and solid step toward the reforming of the Organization.
Some experts do not exclude the possibility of achieving breakthrough solutions to "protracted conflicts" within the summit...
Activation of efforts on settlement of "frozen conflicts", particularly in the territory of the former Soviet Union is the second important achievement of Kazakhstan. I am convinced that the positive impulse of the "shuttle diplomacy" of Kanat Saudabayev, particularly in the South Caucasus, will allow ultimately to move forward in the process of rapprochement of the parties. The OSCE managed to contribute a lot in the process of settlement in Kyrgyzstan. I think the fact that the country of the region, which is familiar with the problems of Bishkek, chairs the Organization played a key role in it.
During its OSCE chairmanship Astana essentially represented the views of the former Soviet space, how productive have been attempts to increase the OSCE's role in the system of international relations?
The idea of the CIS's collective chairmanship in the OSCE, which was very successfully embodied by Kazakhstan, was first of all to strengthen the OSCE's role in the international arena, to return the authority, which was characteristic for the Organization during the period of its formation. In this context I can highly appraise the decision of Astana to proclaim the motto of Kazakhstan's Chairmanship as four Ts - Trust, Tradition, Transparency and Tolerance.
I am convinced that to improve the effectiveness of the OSCE it is just needed to transform it from a consultative mechanism to a full-fledged modern organization. It is clear that to ensure the effective participation of the Organization in the formation of a modern, correspondent to the present-day realities European security architecture and solution of international problems is possible only after the adoption of the Charter of the OSCE.
What are your expectations from the OSCE Summit in Astana?
The summit can be successful only when the decisions and documents submitted for approval are eventually adopted by consensus. Thus I think the only correct intention of Astana is to suggest the leaders reaffirming their commitment to the basic values and principles of the OSCE and clearly defining approaches to major issues of strengthening security and cooperation in the area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.
It is necessary very clearly and openly, without any ambiguity, to denote challenges and threats in the area of responsibility of the OSCE and to develop an action pant, a kind of road map for overcoming them.
We have a long-standing need to discuss the problems of security. It is also important in the light of the activities on reconstruction of a balance between the three "baskets" of the OSCE and the promotion of dialogue on the issues of "hard security". It concerns the need to modernize the Vienna Document on confidence-building measures, and reviving the regime of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and to develop common principles for resolving conflicts, and more effectively respond to new challenges and threats, especially terrorism and drug trafficking.
Besides, I appreciate the fact that the issues in the field of human dimension regarding the fundamental democratic freedoms and rights are on the summit's agenda. Let me remind that a little forgotten, or at least moved aside commitments in this area were fixed in such fundamental documents of OSCE, as the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris for a New Europe. I am pleased to note that Kazakhstan has been actively involving international NGOs in various activities on the eve of the OSCE Summit. It proves readiness of Astana to support formation and activity of civil society in our countries.
Talking about the summit I would like to pay attention to the fact that such a forum at the highest level after more than a decade pause is a great achievement. It is important to understand that the summit was not held for a long time because of the lack of confidence that the leaders of such a large number of countries can really reach agreement. Thus the efforts of Astana that convinced leaders of 55 states to gather and formed such agenda of the summit deserve the highest praise.
I am confident that this will be the key to improving the efficiency of the Organization. After all, when the leaders by their personal example demonstrate commitment to the values and principles of the OSCE, it will naturally raise the credibility of the Organization, and demonstrate the demand for this platform.
How relevant is the idea of establishing the Continental Security Platform based on the uniting potentials of the OSCE and the CICA?
This initiative is conformable to the trends of modern world development, when the center of global economic development is shifted to Asia. In this regard, the direction of the global politics should be changed as well. Modern Asian countries should take active part in the dialogue on topical problems including the security issues since Asia is exposed to local conflicts too. Constrictive dialogue with Asian countries, readiness to form common agenda and find areas of common interest are necessary for establishment of effective mechanisms of global security provision.
In this regard, the initiative of Astana on unification of these two formats is very interesting and topical. And the efforts already made by Astana were the first steps toward the synchronization of the European and Asian security agenda.
Thank you for the interview.
