DUSHANBE, December 3, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov today left for Switzerland to attend the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council that will take place in Basel from December 4-5.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, Aslov is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings with heads of delegations of the OSCE participating States and heads of international organizations active in Geneva.
The OSCE’s website reports that the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council will take place at the Basel Exhibition Center at the invitation of the 2014 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. The meeting is expected to gather some 50 foreign ministers.
The Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The meeting, held annually, provides foreign ministers and more than 70 delegations of OSCE participating States, partner countries and several international organizations an opportunity to review and assess the Organization”s activities during the past year and offer national viewpoints on security matters.
The foreign ministers will discuss the Ukraine crisis and common challenges within and beyond the OSCE area. The Council will set the course for the future work of the organization with Serbia taking the chair from January 1, 2015.
The OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference 2014, with a focus on tolerance and non-discrimination, is concluding today with outcomes being presented to the Chairperson-in-Office.
