As a chairwoman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Dora Bakoyanni announced the priorities of her country for this year. Today she talked in Vienna at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly, which is one of the eight chief bodies of the OSCE. On January 1^st, 2009 Greece took over the chairmanship of the organization in Finland and the Greek minister of foreign affairs Dora Bakoyanni became an active chairwoman of the OSCE. She will coordinate the member countries, she will be responsible for the executive activity of OSCE and she will be main person at political consultations.

It is expected that Greece will include in its main priorities for this year the work of OSCE in Georgia, as well as the security co-operation between the countries members of the organization. “Through coordinated action we will try to find compromising decisions, which will allow the organization to continue its activity in Georgia, in order to help for the peaceful exit from the crisis,” said Dora Bakoyanni.

With taking the chairmanship, Greece confirmed its intentions to work hard for increasing the role of the organization as a forum for dialogue and as a platform for action in the heart of the European security architecture. “OSCE is playing an important role for the security in the region by working for the stability, the prosperity, and democracy in the 56 member countries. It one irreplaceable forum in our region,” said Dora Bakoyanni.

The new OSCE chairwoman thanked Alexander Stubb – minister of foreign affairs of Finland and chairman of the OSCE during 2008, from whom she took the position. Minister Bakoyanni expressed her admiration for the good work her colleague has done as a mediator during the Georgian crisis in August. Dora Bakoyanni also greeted Marat Tazhin – minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, who will take over the chairmanship of OSCE during next year.

Greece is standing in front of many challenges during its chairmanship and its unsolved conflicts, which are developing during a deepening global economic crisis.

Dora Bakoyanni’s speech can be seen live at 10:00 am on January 15^th on the organization’s website www.osce.org.