[PIO] Inclusion of Cyprus in the Troika of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation

At yesterday's meeting of the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), during which the handover of the Presidency of the FSC from Bulgaria to Canada took place, Cyprus was welcomed as the new member of the Troika, which is composed of the country holding the Presidency, together with the previous and the next Presidency.

The Canadian Presidency, during its four-month term, will be assisted in its work by Bulgaria and Cyprus and at the end of this year, Canada will hand over the baton to Cyprus, which will assume the Presidency of the Forum for the first quarter of 2024.

On the occasion of Cyprus' accession to the FSC Troika, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the OSCE, Ambassador Maria Michael, after thanking Bosnia and Herzegovina for leaving the Troika, congratulated Bulgaria for its successful chairmanship. She then welcomed the Canadian Chairmanship, stressing that Cyprus, as a new member of the Troika, will work closely with the OSCE Secretariat and all participating States, supporting its work.

The OSCE is the largest regional organisation of 57 participating States, based in Vienna, of which the Republic of Cyprus is a founding member. The FSC is one of the two (together with the Permanent Council) autonomous decision-making bodies of the OSCE. It meets on a weekly basis, dealing with a wide range of political-military issues ranging from traditional security between and within states to addressing transnational threats such as arms trafficking including weapons of mass destruction. Important achievements of the FSC include, inter alia, the development of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Civil-Military Aspects of Security, which aims to ensure democratic control of the armed forces, and the Vienna Document, which includes a series of confidence-building measures. At the same time, it regulates and oversees the exchange of military information between participating states, to promote transparency and trust between them.

(MF/SX)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source

[/P]
Source[/P][/P]