The priorities of the North Macedonian OSCE Chairpersonship were presented in Vienna

Vienna, 16 January 2023 – The first meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this year was held on North Macedonia's accession to the Organization's Chairmanship.

The priorities of the 2023 Chairmanship were presented by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani.

According to the Chairman-in-Office, North Macedonia intends to focus on the principles and commitments shared by all 57 participating States, protecting the European security order and adhering to the OSCE's concept of comprehensive security.

Ukraine will remain a central priority of the Chairmanship in all three dimensions. In addition, the Chairmanship intends to return the work of the OSCE to the “usual track” and consider security issues in the organization's military-political, economic-environmental and humanitarian dimensions during the year.

In turn, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the OSCE, Alibek Bakayev, expressed support for the priorities of the Chairmanship-in-Office with the hope that given the current geopolitical unrest in the world and the lack of mutual trust in the OSCE region, North Macedonia will focus on the core values of the Helsinki Final Act in the interests of the people.

Also, the Kazakh delegation focused on the need to prevent modern challenges and threats, such as the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.