OSCE chairperson briefs UN Security Council on priorities

UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The chairperson of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday told the United Nations Security Council that conflict prevention, safer future and effective multilateralism are the three priorities of this organization.

Miroslav Lajcak, foreign minister of Slovakia and chairperson-in-office of OSCE, said in his briefing to the council that his organization is committed to supporting the United Nations' global mandate at the regional level.

"I believe we need to continue working together. Perhaps even more than we are doing now," he said.

On the OSCE priorities under Slovak chairmanship for the year of 2019, Lajcak turned first to preventing and resolving conflict, touching upon issues under OSCE domain concerning eastern Ukraine, the Transnistrian settlement process and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Noting these conflicts have gone on for too long, he urged their timely resolution which, he said, needs the attention and cooperation of OSCE and the United Nations.

The chairperson said that "a safer future," the second priority of OSCE, requires "pooling our capacities in the areas of sustainable development, institution building, rule of law and good governance."

In this regard, he welcomed the memorandum of understanding signed by OSCE and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and cited the two organizations' common support for women peacebuilders.

Thirdly, Lajcak underscored the importance of "effective multilateralism," saying global challenges -- climate change, poverty and hunger, and growing inequalities -- are "completely resistant to unilateral solutions."

At a press encounter following the briefing, the chairperson said he was encouraged to receive "strong support" for these priorities from all 15 members of the council, adding "we discussed concrete ways on how the two organizations (OSCE and the United Nations) can work together."