Athens
, 3 June 2009
Ms. Bakoyannis: Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. First of all I want to express my pleasure at being here in Corfu. I imagine it is pleasure for journalists to have three Ministers and to be able to ask them anything they want. But during the Q&A session, I would just ask you to state to whom you are directing your questions.
I’ll start my presentation. In less than three weeks, Corfu will host the Informal Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the OSCE – the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. This is an important initiative on the part of Greece, which holds the Chairmanship of the Organization this year. In the fifty-six years since the founding of the OSCE, this is the first time an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers has been held. The purpose of the meeting is to consider the future of European security.
Through what we call the Corfu process, we will begin a dialogue that will enable us to build a more secure, more stable and stronger Europe. This is a challenge for the Organization, it is a major challenge for our Chairmanship, and it will undoubtedly be a challenge for Corfu. For all you who will be hosting our guests. For all of you who, I am certain, will do your very best to make this a successful meeting.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is the largest trans-regional intergovernmental security organization in the world. It covers the geographical region from Vancouver to Vladivostok and includes all the countries of Eurasia, as well as the U.S. and Canada. To date, most of the Foreign Ministers have confirmed their participation and will arrive here in Corfu on 27 June. This alone is our first success. And at the same time, as I said earlier, it is a major challenge.
I have complete confidence in the organizing team. I express my gratitude to the island’s authorities for the help they have given us and that I am sure they will continue to offer generously.
Let’s also look at what is at stake politically. The security situation in the vast geographical area covered by the OSCE is critical to global security and stability. The U.S., Russia and major European powers participate on equal terms with all of the other states of the Euroatlantic and Eurasian region in this unique hub of dialogue, understanding and cooperation. The EU may have bestowed unprecedented stability and growth on its members, but there are still tensions in Europe over the old problems; the recent history of the Balkans and the more recent conflicts in the Caucasus stand as a reminder of this.
Consequently, new, more complex challenges are emerging; challenges resulting from the international political state of affairs. In the wake of the recent conflict in Georgia, various proposals have been put forward concerning the future of European security. The positions that have been heard so far may not be completely compatible with one another, but there is a certain amount of convergence that speaks for the need to initiate a dialogue.
Everyone acknowledges that the OSCE can and must play a pivotal role in the carrying out of this dialogue. That is why the OSCE Foreign Ministers are gathering here in Corfu, on 27 and 28 June. As active, attentive and conscientious players, we will give the floor to our partners and thus initiate the dialogue. And we will do this while fully respecting one basic principle: Consensus.
This is the first step. This is where we will launch the Corfu process; the process that will enable all of the OSCE member states to act together to deepen stability and strengthen peace in 21st-century Europe.
I thank you, and we will answer any questions you have.
Journalist: Ms. Bakoyannis, welcome. I would like to ask a question concerning the OSCE and the Corfu process. Whether you have an idea – because this concerns us locally – how many people will be in Corfu during the Conference. Whether you have an estimate in terms of diplomats, correspondents, police.
Ms. Bakoyannis: We don’t have an exact figure. We know that there will be approximately 60 Foreign Ministers – each with a three-person team; each Foreign Minister can bring as many associates as they want, but we will host up to three. We know, for example, that the U.S. Secretary of State will come with a much larger delegation – over 90 persons. We will take corresponding security measures, of course. We will give you a detailed breakdown after the Corfu meeting; that is, how many people came – we know that some 200 correspondents have already signed up, but because there is a lot of interest from international media, that number may go up. Our working estimate is that 300 correspondents will come to Corfu. It is difficult to give a precise number, but we estimate that about 1,000 people will come.