Declaration signed by Minister Zaorálek on 25 November 2016
25.11.2016 / 14:19 | Aktualizováno: 17.05.2017 / 21:03
Together with confidence-building, transparency and predictability measures, conventional arms control is an important part of the European security system. The CFE Treaty, Open Skies Treaty and the Vienna Document helped preserve stability in post-Cold War Europe; they brought about the liquidation of thousands of items of military equipment and contributed to the transparency of military exercises. Nevertheless, these mechanisms do have their limits; they no longer quite fit the present situation. This is evident especially in connection with the gross violations of the principles of European security related to the unlawful occupation of Crimea and the situation in Ukraine.
For this reason, the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, this year’s Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has presented an initiative to open a structured politico-military dialogue aimed at reducing the risks in Europe and rebuilding trust between the OSCE Participating States.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic expressed support for this initiative and, on 25 November 2016, signed a declaration of like-minded countries together with 13 Foreign Ministers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic is confident that the initiative will be supported at the upcoming meeting of all OSCE Foreign Ministers in Hamburg (7-8 December 2016), and that it will result in the strengthening of security and stability in Europe.
The commitments shared by allies within the North Atlantic Alliance lie at the core of the Czech Republic’s security and defence. Nonetheless, the Czech Republic regards the OSCE as an important foundation stone of the European security architecture. The Czech Republic is one of the OSCE Participating States that seek to re-establish a transparent and predictable security environment in Europe in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the Participating States in the Helsinki Final Act (1975) and the Charter of Paris (1990). On this basis, the Czech Republic is open to a dialogue and to negotiations that would bring the existing arms control instruments into line with the new trends and developments in the security area. The importance attached by the Czech Republic to the OSCE is evidenced by the fact that the Czech Republic hosts the OSCE Economic Forum in Prague, held annually in Prague, as well as the offices of the OSCE Documentation Centre.