site.btaBulgaria's Svetlan Stoev Is Among OSCE Foreign Ministers Discussing Organization's Activities and Strengthening Dialogue

Sofia, December 2 (BTA) - Bulgaria's top diplomat Svetlan Stoev is among the foreign ministers of the 57 member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) discussing in the opportunities for conflict resolution through the OSCE mechanisms, the efficiency of decition making and the organization's activity, said the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Thursday.

The discussions are taking place during a meeting of the Ministerial Council, which is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE.

The meeting, held annually, provides the Foreign Ministers of the 57 OSCE participating States an opportunity to review and assess the organizationТs activities and strengthen the dialogue on security issues in the OSCE area.

This year's forum opened in Stockholm on December 1.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister said that the unresolved conflicts in the OSCE region are a serious challenge to European security and threaten regional stability and development. He underscored the need to resolve them based on the international law and the principles of territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, within the established negotiating formats. That, however, is achievable only when political will and readiness for compromise exist, Stoev said.

He also said that the OSCE possesses the needed instruments but more work needs to be done to improve the way they are used.

He said that OSCE and the EU have common interests in the security sector and close cooperation between them is important for achieving lasting solutions for ongling conflicts.

According to Stoev, the OSCE activities in the Western Balkans are helping establish the European standards and values, thus supporting the countries on their road to EU integration.

The annual meeting of the Ministerial Council continues Thursday with two plenary sessions. DD/LN