Madam Chairperson,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to greet you on behalf of Montenegro, the youngest OSCE participating state and to express pleasure for taking part in the informal Ministerial meeting. We particularly value the opportunity for the voice of small countries as Montenegro to be heard in dialogue on strengthening security and trust in Euro Atlantic area. I would like to thank Greece for organizing this event successfully and for its efforts to define a comprehensive basis for today’s talks.

Madam Chairperson,

Preserving security in Europe and wider OSCE area is of vital importance to us all. It is also an immense contribution to security at global level. Strengthening trust, openness and readiness for dialogue and mutual understanding and respect are key to success. Security as our shared goal has to be a result of common endeavors. It is easy to destroy trust, as it is difficult to rebuild a new one. The best example for this is the Balkans with its painful experience from not so long ago. I hope we have learnt the lesson for all times on how important it is to appreciate differences and foster dialogue. Montenegro is a small but stable multiethnic country that has made a strong progress in European and Euro Atlantic integration. We are resolving all issues with neighbors in dialogue, with respect to differences and realities. We are fully aware of our responsibility for the security of the region as a whole. The security of Balkans is directly reflecting on the security of Europe. This is the experience we would like to share in this wider context of discussions on future of European security.

Modern threats cannot be resolved successfully without cooperation and common comprehensive and multidimensional approach to security. The OSCE, as one of the most important Organizations for conflict prevention and measures for building security and trust is the core and broad forum for discussion on European security. In order to have a successful dialogue on European security we need to include all three dimensions in it. I believe we all share the opinion on important contribution of the Organization to the stability of Europe and to building and respecting common values that are still relevant today, as are the key documents underpinning our Organization. These basis, as well as the mechanisms and structures of the European security need to be preserved and improved in the spirit of the world we live in today, in good will and based on common interests. At the same time, different views and positions on today’s security situation have to be heard and taken into consideration. In that respect, we are glad that NATO-Russia Council meeting took place earlier, and that this dialogue continues today in the OSCE framework.

Madam Chairperson,

We hope that Corfu conference will contribute to strengthening the spirit of consensus in the Organization and that it will open new possibilities to seek common answer to this always relevant issue. In the same way the Thessaloniki Summit once established grounds for enlargement policy and created hope for the Western Balkans. Montenegro wants to be credible partner in this process.

Thank you.